UBRARY0A, 

ir^ 
d  ?  i 


gwsmsfo 


Colonial    Days. 


BEING 


Stories  and  Ballads  for  Young  Patriots, 

A.S    RECOUNTED    BY 

FIVE  BOYS  AND  FIVE  GIRLS 

IN 

AROUND  THE  YULE  LOG." 

"ABOARD  THE  MAVIS." 

"ON  THE  EDGE  OF  WINTER. 

BY 

RICHARD  MARKHAM. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW  YORK: 
DODD,    MEAD   &   COMPANY, 

PUBLISHERS. 


COPYRIGHT  1879—1880—1881, 
BY    DODD,    MEAD    &    COMPANY. 


?s 


PART  ONE. 


Around  the  Yule  Log. 


96G3CO 


waiting 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  sun  had  been  gone  more 
than  an  hour  on  a  certain  cold 
winter's  evening,  and  only  a  dull 
glow  in  the  west  told  where  he 
had  set.  But  his  light  was  not 
missed ;  for  overhead  the  moon 
shone  out  clear  and  white  through 
the  frosty  air,  making  the  snow 
that  lay  deep  all  about  flash  and 
glitter  like  a  burnished  shield. 

The  air  was  so  still,  that, 
above  the  dull  booming  of  the 
ocean,  one  could  hear  the  train 
more  than  two  miles  away,  as  it 
puffed  slowly  onward  through  the 
Shinnecock  Hills  ;  and  the  dri 
vers  of  the  sleighs,  who  had  been 
for  it  at  the  station,  left  off  stamping  about  the  plat- 


THE   SHINNECOCK    HILLS. 


10  TOM  AND   CARRIE  LONG  WOOD. 

form  and  swinging  their  arms  about  them,  and  made  haste  to  get 
their  teams  ready. 

In  one  of  the  cars  that  was  drawing  near  there  was  great  con 
fusion.  Ten  boys  and  girls  were  reaching  up  to  the  racks  above 
their  heads  for  their  parcels,  or  were  busily  at  work  putting  on  their 
wraps.  A  lady  and  gentleman  vainly  tried  to  make  themselves 
heard  above  the  uproar  caused  by  a  blue-gray  Skye  terrier,  who, 
roused  by  the  confusion,  was  barking  at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  without 
stopping  for  a  moment  to  take  breath. 

"Thistle,  be  quiet !  "  said  the  gentleman. 

But  Thistle  absolutely  refused ;  and  even  when  Carrie  Long- 
wood  picked  him  up,  and  held  him  under  her  seal-skin  jacket,  he 
still  kept  up  a  muffled  "  woof- woof- woof." 

Had  it  not  been  for  his  rude  conduct,  I  should  have  presented 
you  in  form  to  all  this  party.  As  it  is,  I  shall  only  have  just  time 
to  tell  you  their  names  before  the  train  stops  and  they  leave  it; 
The  gentleman  and  lady  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood,  and  Tom  and 
Carrie  are  their  children.  They  have  asked  eight  of  their  young 
friends  to  pass  the  holiday  week  with  them  at  their  place  on  the 
seashore ;  and  now  at  last  the  long  and  tedious  miles  through  the 
scrub-oak  forest  have  been  passed  over,  and  they  are  nearly  at  their 
journey's  end. 

The  house  has  always  been  shut  in  winter,  while  the  family  are 
in  the  city ;  but  Mr.  Longwood  had  sent  down  a  week  before,  and 
fires  had  been  kindled,  a  good  stock  of  provisions  laid  in,  and  a  first- 
rate  cook  engaged. 

At  this  very  moment  she  was  standing  in  the  kitchen  doorway, 
listening  for  the  whistle  of  the  engine  ;  and  no  sooner  did  she  hear 


THE    SLEIGH   STANDS    WAITING.  II 

it  coming  across  the  fields  than  she  hurried  back,  and  saying,  "  La 
sakes !  now  they  will  be  here  in  no  time,  and  mighty  hungry,  I 
specs,"  set  about  broiling  her  chickens  with  great  zeal. 

Meantime  the  train  had  stopped  at  the  station,  and  our  party 
was  making  all  speed  to  get  out.  There  were  Rose  and  Kate 
Waring,  Charlie  and  Will  Morgan,  Lou  and  Ned  Grant,  and  Ger 
trude  Hastings  and  her  little  brother  Jack. 

How  fresh  and  crisp  the  air  seemed  after  the  close  car !  They 
stood  in  a  little  group  for  a  moment,  watching  the  departing  train, 
which,  after  much  wheezing  and  coughing  on  the  part  of  the  en 
gine,  had  got  under  way  again,  and  was  fast  disappearing  in  the 
distance.  But  Tom  Longwood  was  much  too  excited  to  stand  still 
longer,  and  crying,  "  Come,  boys !  come,  girls !  "  led  the  way  to  a 
great  four-horse  sleigh  which  stood  waiting,  the  horses  stamping 
and  shaking  their  bells  impatiently.  It  took  but  a  moment  for  all 
to  get  their  seats,  and  draw  the  robes  about  them.  Crack  went 
the  whip  :  the  leaders  plunged  and  danced  for  a  moment;  and  then, 
settling  down  to  their  work,  away  they  all  went  down  the  broad 
village  street  at  a  rattling  pace,  every  bell  jingling  its  loudest,  and 
every  boy  and  girl  talking  as  fast  as  tongue  could  wag. 

On  they  sped,  leaving  the  village  behind,  the  roar  of  the  surf 
growing  louder  as  they  came  nearer  the  sea,  until  they  saw  before 
them,  at  only  a  little  distance  from  the  water's  edge,  a  group  of 
houses  standing  out  bold  and  clear  in  the  bright  moonlight.  All 
were  dark  but  one,  and  in  that  there  was  a  perfect  glow  of  light. 
Every  window  was  bright ;  and  in  the  parlor,  as  they  drove  up,  they 
could  see  a  blazing  fire,  that  filled  the  whole  of  the  great  chimney- 
place,  and  made  candles  useless. 


12 


MARY  ANN   WELCOMES    THEM. 


"  They  are  evidently  expecting  us,"  said  Mr.  Long-wood. 
"  I  hope  they  have   something    to    eat,"  said   Tom :  "I   am  as 
hungry  as  a  bear." 

"  I  think  that  we   can    trust    Mary  Ann    not   to   let   us   go    to 

bed     supperless,"     said     Mr. 

Longwood.     "See!  there  she 
is  at  the  door." 

Mary  Ann  was  a  Shinne- 
cock  Indian,  one  of  a  tribe 
of  whom  we  shall  have  more 
to  say  farther  on  ;  and  very 
stout  and  comfortable  she 
seemed,  as  she  stood  waiting 
to  welcome  them.  Around 
her  head  was  wrapped  a 
gorgeous  turban;  and  she 
looked  so  jolly,  that  Tom,  as 
he  rushed  up  to  shake  hands 
with  her,  said,  — 

"  Why,  Mary  Ann,  you 
look  as  blooming  as  a  rose ! " 

"  La  sakes  !    Master  Tom, 
now  you  jist  git  along,"  said 
Mary  Ann,  very  much  pleased. 
What  else  she  would  have  said,   no  one  knows;    for  Thistle, 
discovering   of  a   sudden    his    old    summer   friend    Garm,  a   great 
English    mastiff,  set    up    such    a  wild   and  joyful  barking,  rushing 
about    under  every  one's    feet,  that    no    one    could   hear   a   word; 


MARY  ANN. 


GARM   AND    THISTLE    COME    TO    SUPPER.  13 

and  all  were  fain  to  run  into  the  house,  and  leave  the  dogs  to 
renew  their  acquaintance  in  the  snow. 

They  had  hardly  thrown  off  their  wraps,  when  another  sleigh 
drove  up  loaded  with  the  trunks ;  and  then  there  was  a  great 
tramping  of  feet  in  the  hall  as  the  men  carried  them  up-stairs 
under  the  direction  of  the  two  maids  who  had  come  from  the 
city  with  the  party.  In  the  midst  of  the  confusion,  supper  was 
announced ;  and  the  promptness  with  which  the  call  to  it  was 
obeyed  showed  that  the  long  ride  had  given  them  all  good 
appetites.  If  any  other  proof  had  been  needed,  the  rapidity  with 
which  Mary  Ann's  chickens  disappeared  would  have  furnished  it. 

The  dogs  soon  found  out  what  was  going  on,  and  both  put 
in  an  appearance  at  the  dining-room  door ;  Garm  advancing  with 
a  smiling  countenance,  and  a  suggestive  sniffing  of  the  air,  his 
great  tail  waving  slowly  back  and  forth ;  while  Thistle  rushed 
forward  to  Carrie,  and,  sitting  up  on  his  haunches,  waved  his 
paws  wildly  in  the  air.  But  the  rules  of  the  family  were  strict, 
that  the  dogs  should  not  be  fed  at  the  table ;  and  so  they  had 
to  control  their  impatience  as  best  they  could  till  the  meal  was 
over. 

As  soon  as  they  rose  from  the  table,  all  went  out  on  the 
front  piazza ;  the  girls  catching  up  cloaks  and  shawls  as  they 
passed  through  the  hall,  while  the  boys  waited  only  to  seize 
their  hats.  It  was  a  perfect  night.  Not  a  thousand  feet  away 
the  ocean  was  breaking  on  the  beach,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
the  never-ceasing  thunder  of  the  surf.  Through  the  gaps  in  the 
sand-hills  they  could  see  the  waves  leaping  and  plunging  far  out 
at  sea,  while  a  broad  lane  of  dazzling  silver  led  from  the  shore 


14  THE    SHIPS    OF   SKY-WORLD. 

out  to  where  the  moon  hung  clear  and  white  over  the  changing 
waters.  Directly  in  front  of  them,  not  a  stone's-throw  distant,  lay 
the  little  Lake  Agawam,  its  surface  gleaming  in  the  bright  light. 
Overhead  there  was  a  stiff  breeze  blowing,  and  great  masses  of 
white  clouds  were  hurrying  across  the  sky  before  it. 

"How  the  clouds  do  fly!"  said  Rose  Waring. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "They  remind  me  of  a  little 
piece  of  poetry :  — 

The  deep  blue  sea  of  sky-world 

Is  white  with  many  a  sail : 
All  canvas  spread,  ropes  taut  o'erhead, 

They  fly  before  the  gale. 

From  the  far  North,  southward  bearing, 

Are  they  fresh  from  arctic  seas? 
Have  they  sailed  the  north-west  passage, 

Sealed  to  other  craft  than  these? 

Are  their  crews  the  ghosts  of  sailors 

From  earth  long  passed  away? 
Is  the  skipper  bold  of  spirit-mould? 

Is  this  their  heaven  alway? 

'  Ahoy  !   whence  come  ye,  shipmates  ? ' 

But  no  answering  hail  is  heard  : 
The  shrill  wind  whistles  through  their  shrouds; 

They  pass  without  a  word." 

"  It  is  curious,"  said  Ned  Grant  very  seriously,  "  how  different 
objects  in  nature  suggest  thoughts  to    one.      Just   as    the    clouds 


THE    ICE    PRONOUNCED    CAPITAL.  15 

have  been  speaking  to  Mrs.  Longwood,  so  the  lake  before  us  is 
now  speaking  audibly  to  me." 

"  What  does  it  say  ? "    asked  Mrs.  Longwood. 

"  '  Come  and  skate  on  me,' "  said  Ned. 

"Oh,  what  a  splendid  idea!"  said  Tom;  while  they  all 
laughed.  "  Let  us  take  a  run  down,  and  see  how  the  ice  is." 

So  all  the  boys  took  to  their  heels  down  the  path ;  while  the 
girls,  finding  standing  still  rather  cold  work,  began  to  move  toward 
the  door  to  go  in. 

The  boys  were  back  in  no  time.  They  pronounced  the  ice 
excellent,  and  were  wild  to  get  out  their  skates,  and  begin  at 
once.  But  Mr.  Longwood  said,  "No:  we  have  all  been  travelling 
five  hours,  and  are  pretty  tired.  If  we  overdo  matters  at  the 
start,  we  shall  not  have  half  so  good  a  time  afterward.  So  let 
us  put  off  skating  till  to-morrow,  and  all  go  into  the  parlor  and 
have  some  games.  I  fancy  Mary  Ann  may  have  some  apples 
and  nuts." 

"  It  seems  almost  a  pity  not  to  skate,"  said  Tom,  looking 
longingly  at  the  lake.  "  It  may  snow  before  morning,  and  then 
our  chance  will  all  be  gone." 

"  I  don't  think  that  there  is  much  danger  of  that,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  laughing.  "  At  all  events,  none  of  the  girls  could 
go ;  and  it  would  not  be  at  all  polite,  Master  Tom,  to  go  off 
and  leave  them  by  themselves." 

This  was  a  point  that  the  boys  had  not  thought  of:  so  they 
all  made  haste  to  join  the  rest  of  the  party  in  the  parlor. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ? "  asked  Lou  Grant. 

"Well,  what  do  you  say  to  some  games?"  said  Carrie. 


1 6  JACK   HASTINGS    CALLS   FOR    "INJUNS? 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  would  be  much  nicer,"  said  Will  Morgan. 
"  Mr.  Longwood  knows  ever  so  many  splendid  stories.  If  he 
would  tell  us  one,  I  know  you  would  be  sure  to  like  it." 

They  all  joined  in  urging  this  plan  so  vigorously,  that  finally 
Mr.  Longwood  agreed  to  tell  a  story. 

"  But  what  shall  it  be  about  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Injuns,"  said  little  Jack  Hastings,  who  sat  at  the  end  of  the 
circle  about  the  fire,  his  eyes  as  big  as  saucers. 

The  boys  all  voted  that  Jack's  choice  was  a  good  one ;  and 
so  Mr.  Longwood  began. 


.  v  ^ 

?CJK 


CHAPTER    II. 


"  IN  the  year  1636,  when 
what  I  am  about  to  tell  you 
took  place,  there  was  not  a 
single  settlement  on  Long 
Island,  and  only  one  or  two 
along  the  whole  Connecti 
cut  shore.  Everywhere  were 
wild  forests,  and  the  whole 
negion  hereabout  was  owned 
by  a  tribe  of  fierce  and  war 
like  Indians,  —  the  Pequots. 

"At  first  they  had  been 
friendly  to  the  whites ;  but, 
after  a  time,  there  had  come 
signs  of  trouble.  A  whole 
vessel's  crew  who  had  gone 
up  the  Connecticut  River  to 
trade  with  them  had  been  cut 
off,  and  not  a  man  had  been 
left  to  tell  the  tale.  Notwith 
standing  this  warning,  there  were  to  be  found  men  who  were. 


AN    INDIAN    WARRIOR. 


1 8  SKIPPER    GALLUP    TO    l^HE    RESCUE. 

willing  to  run  all  risks  for  the  sake  of  the  great  profit  that  could 
be  made  in  bartering  with  them. 

"  One  of  these  was  John  Oldham,  a  bold  and  hardy  adven 
turer,  who  had  spent  years  in  such  traffic.  Loading  his  pinnace 
with  beads,  knives,  and  other  things  that  the  Indians  loved,  he 
would  sail  to  some  part  of  the  coast  where  his  coming  speedily 
became  known.  Soon  his  vessel  would  be  crowded  with  Indians, 
eager  to  exchange  beaver-skins  and  other  furs  for  the  bright 
trifles  that  took  their  eye ;  when  he  would  sail  back  to  Plymouth, 
where  his  skins  were  shipped  to  England  to  be  sold  at  a  great 
profit. 

"  But  he  ventured  too  often  ;  for  on  one  of  these  journeys, 
while  off  Block  Island,  his  only  crew  being  a  boy  and  two 
friendly  Indians,  he  was  boarded  by  some  twenty  or  more  Pe- 
quots.  The  cargo  was  too  great  a  temptation  for  them :  so  they 
killed  Capt.  Oldham  and  cut  off  his  head,  carried  off  the  crew 
prisoners,  and  seized  the  vessel.  But  his  death  was  avenged 
speedily  and  thoroughly,  as  you  shall  hear. 

"  Hardly  had  the  foul  deed  been  done,  when  a  sail  was  seen 
•in  the  distance,  drawing  near.  It  was  Skipper  John  Gallup  in 
his  sloop.  He  had  set  out  from  Connecticut  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  on  Long  Island,  somewhere  near  where  we  now  are  ; 
but  the  wind  had  changed  suddenly,  and,  coming  on  to  blow,  he 
was  driven  toward  Block  Island.  The  sail  ahead  at  once  at 
tracted  his  attention  ;  for  there  were  so  few  craft  then,  that  every 
skipper  knew  at  once  the  name  of  every  sail  he  met.  So  Capt. 
Gallup  knew  that  it  was  Capt.  Oldham's  pinnace  :  and  when,  as 
he  drew  nearer,  he  saw  a  canoe-load  of  Indians  leave  it  for  the 


CAPTAIN   OLDHAM  IS   KILLED. 


shore,  while  on  the  deck  he  could  count  fourteen  Pequots,  each 
man  armed,  his  heart  misgave  him;  for  he  saw  at  once  that  Capt. 
Oldham  had  been  killed. 


INDIANS   BRINGING   BEAVER-SKINS  TO   BARTER. 


"His  own  crew  was  small  enough,  —  his  two  sons,  both   lads, 
and  one  grown  man,  were  all :    so    that  many  a  one  would  have 


20  SKIPPER    GALLUP    ON    THE    WAR-PATH. 

thought  it  no  cowardice  to  fly  from  so  large  a  band  of  enemies. 
But  such  a  thought  never  entered  Skipper  Gallup's  mind.  He 
stationed  his  crew  all  forward,  where  they  were  sheltered  by  the 
bulwarks,  and  armed  them  with  the  two  guns  and  two  pistols  he 
had  on  board.  Then,  taking  his  station  at  the  wheel,  he  bore 
down  toward  the  pinnace.  The  three  in  the  bows  used  their 
weapons  to  such  good  effect  as  soon  as  they  came  within  gun 
shot,  that  the  whole  band  of  Indians  presently  left  the  deck  in 
great  haste  and  confusion  to  seek  protection  from  the  bullets 
below.  Then  the  skipper  all  at  once  changed  his  vessel's  course, 
and,  coming  down  at  full  speed  before  the  wind,  struck  the  pin 
nace,  bows  on,  on  her  quarter. 

"The  shock  was  tremendous;  and  she  careened  so  far,  that  the 
Indians  thought  that  she  was  about  to  capsize ;  and  six,  filled 
with  fright,  rushed  up  from  below,  and  jumped  overboard,  where, 
as  it  was  blowing  half  a  gale,  and  they  were  two  miles  from 
shore,  they  were  soon  drowned. 

"  Meantime  our  skipper  had  again  worked  his  sloop  to  wind 
ward,  and  was  coming  down  once  more  to  strike  the  pinnace 
as  before.  This  time  he  hung  his  great  anchor  over  the  bow 
in  such  a  way,  that,  when  he  struck,  her  fluke  should  tear  open 
the  side  of  the  pinnace.  His  crew  were  directed  to  hold  their 
fire  till  after  they  had  met,  when  they  were  to  deliver  their  shots 
through  the  hole  they  hoped  would  be  made. 

"  This  onset  was  even  more  successful  than  the  first.  The 
sloop  raked  the  pinnace  from  bow  to  stern,  tearing  open  her 
side,  and  causing  such  fright  among  the  heathen,  that  four  more 
leaped  overboard.  Only  four  now  remained ;  and  Capt.  Gallup 


THE   END    OF    THE    PINNACE.  21 

and  his  man  at  once  boarded  the  enemy.  One  Indian  came  up, 
and  begged  for  quarter.  They  bound  him  hand  and  foot,  and 
put  him  into  the  sloop.  A  second  followed.  Him  they  also 
bound.  But,  when  they  thought  an  instant,  they  saw  that  they 
should  put  themselves  in  much  danger  if  they  spared  his  life. 
What  if  the  two,  having  loosed  one  another's  bonds,  should  rise 
upon  them  at  night  when  they  were  worn  out  with  work  ?  They 
had  been  taken  red-handed ;  for  there  in  the  pinnace  lay  the 
body  of  poor  Oldham.  The  risk  was  too  great.  Overboard  he 
must  go,  and  overboard  he  went  to  share  the  fate  of  his  fellows. 

"There  were  now  but  two  left,  and  these  were  hidden  below, 
and  were  afraid,  as  well  they  might  be,  to  show  themselves. 
The  gale  was  increasing.  So  Skipper  Gallup  hastily  shifted  what 
cargo  of  the  pinnace  had  not  been  stolen  to  his  own  boat,  and 
such  of  her  .sail  and  rigging  as  could  be  hastily  transferred,  fas 
tened  down  her  hatches,  and,  taking  her  in  tow,  set  sail  once 
more,  hoping  to  carry  her  into  port  with  him.  But  the  storm 
increased  so  rapidly,  that  after  a  time  he  had  to  cut  her  loose ; 
and  she  was  never  seen  again." 

The  boys  indulged  in  many  praises  of  Skipper  Gallup's 
bravery ;  till  at  last  Will  Morgan  said,  — 

"And  was  that  the  end  of  the  trouble  with  the  Pequots?" 

"  Oh,  no ! "  said  Mr.  Longwood :  "  they  became  worse  than 
ever.  Whenever  a  white  man  showed  himself  outside  of  the 
towns,  he  was  sure  to  find  an  Indian  arrow  in  wait.  At  last  all 
the  colonies  united,  and  raised  a  small  army.  There  was  a  great 
battle,  in  which  over  seven  hundred  of  the  red  men  were  killed ; 
which  so  weakened  them,  that  the  surrounding  tribes,  their  ene 
mies,  fell  upon  them,  and  exterminated  them  to  a  man." 


22  JACK   HASTINGS' S    GREAT- GRANDMOTHER. 

"  I  wonder  what  became  of  Skipper  Gallup,"  said  Ned  Grant. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Mr.  Longwood ;  "but  one  of  the  sons 
who  was  with  him  in  this  affair  became  a  captain,  and  was  killed 
in  King  Philip's  War." 

"  Isn't  there  some  good  story  about  that  war  ? "  asked  Ned. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  :  "  there  are  a  great  many.  There 
was  one  man  who  was  a  great  fighter.  At  one  time,  when 
almost  all  alone,  he  captured  sixty  Indians." 

"  I  know  a  good  story,"  interrupted  little  Jack  Hastings.  "  My 
great-grandmother  "  — 

"  Hush,  Jack ! "  said  his  sister.  "  Do  go  on,  please,  Mr. 
Longwood." 

"  King  Philip's  War,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  was  much  more 
important  than  the  one  I  have  been  telling  you  about.  It  came 
forty  years  later,  when  there  were  a  great  many  more  settlers  in 
the  country ;  and  there  were  so  many  tribes  engaged  in  it,  and 
they  were  at  first  so  successful,  that  it  seemed  that  the  Indians 
would  carry  out  their  threat  to  drive  every  white  man  out  of 
the  land. 

"The  first  blood  was  shed  in  a  town  named  Swansey.  The 
people  were  expecting  trouble  with  the  Indians ;  and  so  a  day  of 
humiliation  and  prayer  was  ordered,  in  the  hope  that  God  would 
hear  the  cry  of  his  people,  and  avert  the  great  calamity  which 
they  feared  was  coming  upon  them.  They  had  all  met  in  the 
meeting-house,  which,  as  of  course  you  know,  was  more  like  a 
fort  than  a  church,  and  to  which  they  were  always  summoned  by 
the  beating  of  a  drum ;  for  there  were  no  bells  in  those  days. 
The  prayers  were  said,  and  the  people  were  on  their  way  to  their 


CAPTURED   BY   THE   INDIANS. 


THE    SETTLERS   ATTACKED. 


•Ski 


homes,  when  the  fearful  war-whoop  was  heard,  and  from  an 
ambush  close  at  hand  came  a  flight  of  bullets,  and  several 
dropped  dead. 

"  Then  the  Indians  fell  upon  all  the  towns  and  outlying  farms. 
When  the  men  went  out 
to  work,  they  were  shot 
down  by  an  unseen  foe. 
Those  whom  the  bullet 
only  wounded,  the  toma 
hawk  finished.  All  made 
haste,  leaving  their  homes 
to  be  burned,  and  their 
crops  to  be  destroyed,  to 
flock  into  the  garrison- 
houses,  which,  built  of 
heavy  logs,  were  bullet 
proof.  But  many  was 
the  poor  man  and  woman 
shot  down  before  they 
dreamed  of  danger,  and 
many  were  the  captives 
carried  away  to  drag  out 
a  miserable  existence,  — 
the  women  and  children 
as  slaves ;  the  men  to  run  the  gauntlet,  or  to  be  tortured  to  death 
to  satisfy  the  cruel  nature  of  their  captors. 

"  If  you  read  the  histories  of  that  time,  you  will  hear  of  many 
a  hairbreadth  escape,  and  many  a  deed  of  daring.     At  one  time, 


A   SETTLER  ATTACKED. 


26 


A    CAPITAL    SHOT. 


in  one  of  the  garrison-houses,  a  woman  in  the    second    story  was 
turning  cheeses,  and  had  slipped   back  a  small  shutter  to   let  in 

light.  An  Indian  who 
was  on  the  watch  fired 
at  the  opening.  The 
ball  passed  complete 
ly  through  the  cheese 
that  the  woman  held 
in  her  hand,  but  did 
her  no  injury. 

"At  another  time, 
on  a  very  dark  night, 
a  man  who  was  a 
capital  shot  let  him 
self  out  of  the  garri 
son-house,  and  took 
his  stand  just  beside 
the  door.  A  com 
panion  within  put  a 
light  in  one  of  the 
loop-holes  of  the 
house,  and  retired  in 
stantly.  It  was  well 
that  he  did  so;  for  the 
next  instant  a  bullet 
fired  by  some  am 
bushed  Indian  came 
out  the  candle.  Our  friend 


RUNNING  THE  GAUNTLET. 


with    such   good    aim,  that    it    put 


THE    ADVENTURE    OF    TWO    CHILDREN. 


outside  the  door,  however,  was  waiting  with  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder. 
Quick  as  thought  he  fired  at  the  flash  of  the  Indian's  gun,  and 
brought  down  his  man. 

"  It  was  not  the  men  alone  who  did   daring   deeds.     In    Dor 
chester   lived   a   Mr.    Minot,    who   had    two    little    children.     One 


AN    INDIAN    LODGE. 


Sunday  morning,  while  the  rest  of  the  family  were  at  church, 
they  were  left  at  home  alone  with  a  servant-maid.  She  made 
the  door  fast  as  usual,  and  was  busy  about  her  household  affairs. 
On  a  sudden  an  Indian  appeared,  and  tried  to  make  his  way  in. 
Not  being  able  to  force  the  door,  he  ran  to  the  window.  The 


28  A    SHOVEL    OF   LIVE    COALS. 

girl  waited  only  a  minute  to  hide  the  children  under  two  great 
brass  kettles,  and  rushed  up  stairs  for  a  musket.  The  Indian 
.fired  at  her  as  she  ran,  but  missed  her.  She  fired  back  at  him 
with  better  aim,  hitting  him  in  the  shoulder.  But  the  shot  did 
not  disable  him ;  and,  filled  with  rage,  he  made  all  the  more  vig 
orous  efforts  to  get  in.  There  was  no  time  to  load  again :  so, 
catching  up  a  shovel  of  live  coals,  she  dashed  them  against  his 
face  with  such  force,  that  he  made  haste  to  get  away.  The  next 
day  his  dead  body  was  found  in  the  woods,  his  face  one  mass 
of  burns. 

"  Well,  at  first  it  seemed,  as  I  said,  as  if  the  Indians  were 
going  to  be  successful,  and  drive  all  the  white  men  out  of  the 
country.  Town  after  town  was  burned.  There  was  no  way  of 
paying  them  back  in  kind  ;  for  their  lodges,  built  of  sticks  covered 
with  skins,  were  rebuilt  in  a  day.  Things  looked  very  black  for 
the  colonists. 

"  But  all  at  once  the  tide  turned.  A  great  battle  was  fought, 
in  which  many  hundred  Indian  warriors  were  slain.  At  last  King 
Philip,  the  chief  of  their  whole  confederation,  was  killed ;  and  then 
the  war  was  practically  at  an  end. 

"The  most  successful  leader  of  the  settlers  was  Capt.  Church. 
He  was  a  man  without  personal  fear.  He  would  venture  into 
the  councils  of  tribes  whom  he  feared  were  about  to  join  the 
^nemy,  and  would  sit  unmoved  amid  the  wildest  gesticulation  and 
fury  of  orators  urging  their  nation  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
whites.  Often,  by  his  personal  coolness,  he  weaned  a  tribe  back 
to  their  old  alliance.  He  it  was  who  captured  the  sixty  Indians ; 
and  this  was  the  way  it  happened :  — 


AN   INDIAN   ORATOR. 


STAND    TO    IT;    STAND    TO   IT!  31 

"  In  the  battle  in  which  King  Philip  was  killed,  one  of  the 
Indians  was  heard  calling  out  in  a  loud  voice  to  his  men,  '  I-oo- 
tash ;  I-oo-tash  /'  —  '  Stand  to  it ;  stand  to  it ! '  This  was  old 
Annawon,  Philip's  right-hand  man. 

"A  few  days  later,  when  Capt.  Church  was  on  a  scouting 
expedition  with  one  white  man  and  five  or  six  friendly  Indians, 
they  captured  one  of  the  enemy,  an  old  fellow,  who,  on  being 
questioned,  confessed  that  he  had  come  from  Annawon's  camp, 
which  he  said  was  situated  in  a  swamp.  He  further  told  that 
there  were  with  him  some  sixty  men,  and  that  by  hard  marching 
the  camp  could  be  reached  by  nightfall.  Capt.  Church  had,  as  I 
said,  but  one  white  man  and  five  Indians  .with  him.  If  he 
waited  for  re-enforcements,  he  would  lose  his  opportunity ;  for  it 
was  well  known  that  Annawon  was  too  wily  to  ever  camp  twice 
in  the  same  place.  He  turned  to  his  men.  Would  they  join 
him  in  a  forlorn  hope  to  capture  this  great  chief?  The  white 
man  answered,  '  I  am  never  afraid  of  going  anywhere  when  you 
are  with  me ; '  and  the  Indians,  so  great  was  Capt.  Church's 
renown  as  a  warrior,  at  last  consented.  The  old  man  whom  they 
had  taken  prisoner  agreed,  if  they  would  spare  his  life,  to  pilot 
them  ;  and  so  they  set  out,  their  guide  striding  before  them  at 
'  such  a  pace,  that  he  was  often  out  of  sight. 

"  At  last,  as  dusk  drew  near,  he  halted.  This  was  the  time, 
he  said,  when  Annawon  sent  out  his  scouts.  If  they  went  on, 
there  was  danger  of  being  discovered.  They  must  wait  an  hour 
or  so,  and  then  it  would  be  safe  to  move  again.  Here  Capt. 
Church  asked  the  old  man  if  he  would  fight  for  him.  The 
Indian  bowed  low,  and  said,  that,  as  he  owed  him  his  life,  he  had 


A    PERILOUS    CLIMB. 


consented    to    show  him    the  way ;    but    he    prayed    him    that    he 
might  not  be  made  to  fight  against  his  old  master.     He  promised, 
however,  to  come  to  the  captain's  aid,  should  any  one  attack  him. 
"  Then  they  set  out  again.     Soon  they  came    in    sight   of  the 

camp.  It  was  in  a 
deep  recess  ;  and  the 
only  way  to  it  was 
to  climb  down  some 
rocks  in  single  file, 
in  sight  of  all  below. 
The  guide  was  sent 
first,  so  that  he  would 
be  recognized  as  a 
friend  ;  and  they  fol 
lowed  in  his  shadow. 
A  young  woman  was 
pounding  corn  in  a 
mortar.  When  she 
pounded,  they  moved 
on ;  when  she  stopped 
to  turn  the  corn,  they 
stopped :  and  so  it 
turned  out,  that  be 
fore  Annawon,  who 

A   SQUAW   AND   PAPPOOSE.  1      •  1       ir  1 

was  lying  half  asleep 

with  his  son  beside  him,  realized  that  the  enemy  were  upon  him, 
Capt.  Church  had  stepped  across  his  prostrate  body,  and  secured 
all  his  arms,  which  had  been  stacked  a  little  to  one  side. 


ANNA  WON  MAKES   A    PRESENT.  33 

"The  old  chief  saw  that  he  had  been  outwitted,  and,  after 
the  first  start  and  exclamation  of  surprise,  lay  in  perfect  stillness 
with  true  Indian  stoicism.  Meantime  the  rest  of  Capt.  Church's 
party  had  gone  to  the  other  Indians  of  the  band,  who  were 
lying  about  fires  a  little  distance  away,  and  telling  them  that 
Annawon  was  taken,  and  that  they  were  entirely  surrounded  b^ 
whites,  but  that,  if  they  would  give  up  their  guns,  they  should 
have  quarter,  persuaded  them  to  yield  their  arms. 

"  Capt.  Church  had  succeeded ;  but  his  position  was  by  no 
means  an  enviable  one.  Should  his  captives  find  out  the  truth, 
they  could  by  sheer  force  of  numbers  overcome  him.  He,  too, 
was  worn  out  with  his  work.  Bidding  his  men  keep  watch  for  a 
couple  of  hours,  he  lay  down,  and  fell  asleep.  But  he  took  the 
precaution  to  throw  one  of  his  legs  over  Annawon,  and  the  other 
over  his  son,  so  that  neither  could  move  without  disturbing  him. 
At  the  end  of  the  two  hours  he  awoke.  Annawon  lay  with  his 
eyes  wide  open,  watching  him.  Together  they  remained  eying 
one  another.  At  length  the  old  Indian  rose,  and  strode  off  into 
the  forest.  Capt.  Church,  as  he  was  gone  some  time,  fearing: 
that  some  villany  was  preparing,  made  the  chief's  son  lie  beside 
him  in  such  a  way  that  no  bullet  could  reach  him  without  first 
killing  the  Indian.  But  his  precautions  were  needless ;  for  the 
old  man  soon  returned,  bearing  with  him  the  belt  of  King  Philip, 
which  he  had  taken  from  its  hiding-place.  Kneeling  down,  he 
presented  it  to  Capt.  Church,  saying  in  broken  English,  — 

"  '  Great  captain,  you  have  killed  Philip,  and  conquered  his 
country:  for  I  believe  that  I  and  my  company  are  the  last  that 
war  against  the  English,  so  suppose  the  war  is  ended  by  your 
means ;  and  therefore  these  things  belong  to  you.' 


34  A    PLAN  IS   PROPOSED. 

"  The  war  was,  as  Annawon  had  said,  at  an  end.  He  had  no 
heart  to  fight  further ;  and  his  captor  marched  him  off  the  next 
morning  with  his  men  to  Plymouth,  where  shortly  after  he  was 
tried  for  the  murder  of  many  English,  and,  notwithstanding  Capt. 
Church's  efforts  in  his  behalf,  was  executed." 

"  What  I  can't  understand,"  said  Tom  Longwood,  "  is  why 
Annawon  did  not  try  to  escape  the  next  morning.  He  must 
have  seen  then  how  much  stronger  his  own  party  was  than  that 
of  Capt.  Church." 

"  I  suppose  he  did  not  think  that  he  would  be  shot  by  the 
settlers,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Very  likely  Capt.  Church  prom 
ised  him  his  life.  After  Annawon  had  brought  King  Philip's 
belt,  they  sat  by  the  fire,  and  talked  together  till  morning.  It 
is  certain  that  Capt.  Church  tried  his  utmost  to  save  him,  and 
that  he  was  very  much  depressed  when  he  heard  of  his  taking- 
off.  But  Annawon  confessed  that  he  had  put  whites  to  death 
by  torture,  and  there  was  no  chance  for  him  after  that." 

"How  glad  I  am  that  all  those  days  are  over!"  said  Rose 
Waring.  "  It  was  very  kind  of  you,  Mr.  Longwood,  to  take  so 
much  trouble  to  amuse  us ;  and  I  am  sure  we  all  thank  you  very 
much." 

"Yes,  indeed!"  they  all  cried;  and  Ned  Grant  said,  "I  hope 
that  to-morrow  night  you  will  feel  like  telling  us  another." 

"  How  would  it  do,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  for  each  of  you 
young  people  to  tell  a  story?  We  shall  be  here  five  nights 
more,  and  there  are  ten  of  you.  That  would  give  us  ten  stories 
in  all,  —  two  on  each  evening.  We  might  make  the  condition  that 
they  should  be  from  American  history.  There  are  a  great  many 


AN  EMPTY  ROOM. 


35 


books  on  that  subject  in  the  library,  and  you  can  easily  hunt 
up  some  story  if  you  do  not  know  one  already.  What  say  you 
all  ?  Shall  we  try  it  ? " 

The  question  was  put  to  vote,  and  it  was  decided  that  the 
plan  should  be  tried.  Then  lots  were  drawn,  and  each  had  his 
or  her  day  allotted.  Carrie  Longwood  and  Will  Morgan  drew 
theirs  for  the  next  evening,  while  at  the  very  end  of  all  came 
little  Jack  Hastings. 

"  I  know  what  I  shall  tell,"  said  that  young  gentleman.  "  My 
great-grandmother  "  — 

"  Don't  tell  us  to-night,  Jack,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  It  is 
high  time  that  we  all  went  to  bed,  if  we  want  to  be  fresh  in 
the  morning  for  to-morrow's  fun." 

So  they  all  trooped  off  up-stairs,  and  soon  the  parlor  fire 
was  flickering  and  blinking  to  an  empty  room. 


CHAPTER    III. 


"  DEAR  me,  girls  !  "  said 
Gertrude  Hastings  when 
they  were  up-stairs,  "  I  am 
so  glad  that  our  rooms  open 
into  one  another !  It  is  like 
all  sleeping  in  the  same 
room.  Those  Indian  stories 
have  made  my  blood  creep, 
and  I  expect  to  hear  a  war- 
whoop  at  any  moment." 

"  I  am  so  sleepy,"  said 
Kate,  "  that  I  don't  think  a 
hundred  war-whoops  could 
wake  me  to-night.  It  must 
be  the  sea  air.  I  never  am 
so  in  New  York." 

Notwithstanding  all  tnisr 
she  made  no  haste  to  get 
into  bed,  but  joined  the 
other  girls,  who,  in  their 

night-dresses,  had  crouched  around  the   blazing   fire.     They  were 

36 


GERTRUDE'S    FRIGHT. 


GERTRUDE    HEARS  AN  INDIAN.  37 

all  deep  in  some  of  the  many  subjects  that  girls  find  to  talk 
about;  and  might  have  continued  there  till  morning,  had  not 
Mrs.  Longwood  come  in  and  packed  them  all  off  to  bed,  when 
their  tongues  soon  stopped  for  the  night. 

It  must  have  been  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
Gertrude  awoke  suddenly.  The  blaze  had  all  died  away  from 
the  fire,  and  only  a  few  embers  threw  a  dull  red  glow  on  the 
ceiling.  As  she  lay  there  only  half  conscious,  she  heard  a  noise, 
crunch,  crunch,  on  the  snow  outside.  In  an  instant  all  the  In 
dian  stories  came  back  to  her  mind,  and  she  started  up  in  bed 
in  a  fright.  But  a  moment's  thought  told  her  that  Indians  had 
long  ago  ceased  to  rouse  people  from  their  sleep.  Still  the 
noise  went  on,  crunch,  crunch.  Something,  she  was  sure,  was 
wrong.  Perhaps  it  was  a  burglar.  She  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
lie  down,  and  cover  her  head  with  the  bed-clothes,  but,  putting 
away  all  such  suggestions,  jumped  up,  and,  making  her  way  to 
the  window,  looked  out. 

The  moon  was  just  setting;  but  there  was  still  light  enough 
to  make  out  the  cause  of  her  fright.  It  was  Garm.  He  was 
walking  slowly  about,  keeping  guard  over  every  thing.  What  a 
sudden  change  it  made  in  her  feelings !  Now  she  felt  as  safe  as 
a  little  while  before  she  had  been  frightened.  She  tapped  softly 
on  the  pane;  and  he  looked  up,  and,  seeing  her,  stood  still  a 
moment,  and  wagged  his  tail,  and  then  resumed  his  walk. 

Her  window  looked  out  upon  the  sea ;  and  there,  as  she 
raised  her  eyes,  close  in  shore,  was  a  great  ocean-steamer. 
Gertrude  could  make  out  clearly  the  outlines  of  her  masts  and 
the  red  flame  that  poured  from  her  smoke-stacks  as  she  made 
her  way  onward. 


THE    BOYS   ARE    MISSING. 


But  she  soon  found  . herself  shivering  with  cold:  so  she  left 
the  window.  "  I'll  just  put  one  of  these  logs  on  the  fire,"  she 
said:  "  a  little  blaze  is  such  good  company."  And  then  she  hopped 
into  bed  again,  and,  long  before  the  blaze  had  sprung  up,  was 
fast  asleep. 

Morning  arrived  in  due  time,  and  with  it  the  breakfast-hour. 
When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood  came  down  stairs,  they  found 
the  girls  all  waiting  in  the  parlor;  but  not  a  boy  was  to  be  seen. 


THE    STEAMER  AT   SEA. 


"Why,  this  is  very  strange!"  said  Mr.  Longwood  after  they 
had  all  said  good-morning.  "Where  are  the  boys?" 

"  I  have  not  heard  a  sound,"  said  Kate,  "  and  I  have  been 
down  stairs  more  than  half  an  hour." 

"What  heavy  sleepers  they  must  be!  —  Bridget!"  he  called  to 
the  maid  who  was  standing  in  the  hall,  "  go  up  to  the  young 
gentlemen's  rooms,  and  tell  them  that  breakfast  is  ready." 


THE   BOYS  ARE    FOUND.  39 

"  Sure,  it's  skatin'  they've  been  this  hour,  sur,"  said  Bridget. 
"  I  saw  thim  wid  their  skates  in  their  hands  whin  I  first  came 
down." 

"This  will  never  do,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "They  must 
always  have  something  to  eat  before  going  out,  or  they'll  be 
catching  cold.  —  Bridget,  tie  a  napkin  to  the  piazza-post.  Master 
Tom  will  remember  that  that  was  the  way  we  called  him  to  din 
ner  last  summer,  when  he  was  out  boating." 

The  napkin  was  tied  up;  and  the  girls  who  gathered  at  the 
window  to  watch  soon  saw  the  five  boys,  side  Ipy  side,  with  hands 
joined,  come  gliding  down  toward  them,  the  two  dogs  plunging 
and  slipping  and  barking  wildly  behind. 

And  in  less  than  no  time  they  were  up  at  the  house,  and 
sitting  around  the  table. 

"Well,  young  people,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  when  they  had 
been  helped,  "how  did  you  sleep?" 

All  declared  that  they  had  not  opened  their  eyes  till  daylight, 
except  Gertrude,  who  told  the  story  of  her  fright. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Ned  Grant,  "  that,  if  it  had  been  a  real 
Indian,  you  would  have  been  very  much  frightened." 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  should,"  said  Gertrude. 

"  And  yet  there  was  an  Indian  crouched  within  fifty  feet  of 
your  bed  all  night  long." 

"  O  Ned  Grant,  what  an  awful  story ! "  said  two  or  three  of 
the  girls. 

"  It  isn't  a  story  at  all,"  said  Ned.  "  Mary  Ann,  the  cook,  is 
a  Shinnecock  Indian.  I  went  out  to  the  kitchen  before  going 
skating  to  see  if  I  couldn't  get  a  piece  of  bread.  I  was  afraid. 


40  JACK   MAKES  A    JOKE. 

having  just  got  over  a  bad  cold,  to  go  out  before  eating.  Mary 
Ann  gave  me  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter  and  a  glass  of  milk ; 
and  while  I  v/as  eating  it  she  told  me  that  she  was  a  Shin- 
necock  Indian,  and  that  the  tribe  lived  only  two  miles  away  on 
land  reserved  for  them  by  the  government.  She  told  me  ever 
so  much  beside ;  and  I  got  so  interested,  that  all  the  fellows  had 
their  skates  on,  and  were  off,  before  I  reached  the  lake.  I  am 
going  to  see  her  again  some  time." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  little  Jack,  "  that  the  bread  she  gave  you 
must  have  been  Indian  bread." 

"O  Jack,"  they  all  cried,  "what  a  wretched  joke!  —  But  is  it 
true,  Mr.  Longwood,  that  there  is  a  tribe  of  Indians  close  to  us  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  that  gentleman,  —  "not  two  miles  away.  Before 
we  go  back,  we  will  all  go  over  there  in  the  big  sleigh.  We  can 
go  to-day  if  you  like." 

"  The  skating  is  prime,"  said  Tom,  "  and  it  may  not  last.  If 
it  should  snow,  there  would  be  an  end  to  it ;  while  the  Shinnecock 
Indians  are  not  likely  to  run  away." 

"  Not  very  far  in  this  cold  weather,  at  all  events,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  Perhaps  it  is  better  not  to  try  any  excursions  on 
our  first  day.  The  lake  will  give  us  plenty  of  amusement;  and 
it  is  so  close  at  hand,  that,  if  any  get  tired,  they  can  easily  come 
to  the  house  and  rest." 

So  as  soon  as  breakfast  and  prayers  were  over,  they  all  set 
out.  The  boat-pier  made  a  capital  place  for  the  girls  to  sit 
while  the  boys  put  on  their  skates ;  and  in  a  very  few  moments 
they  were  all  on  their  feet  and  away,  except  Rose  Waring,  who 
stood  holding  her  skates  in  her  hand,  and  looking  after  them 
with  quite  a  melancholy  face. 


ROSE    WARING    TRIES    TO    SKATE.  41 

"Why,  Rose,"  said  Charlie  Morgan,  "how  solemn  you  look! 
Sit  down  here,  and  I'll  have  your  skates  on  before  you  can  say 
Jack  Robinson." 

"  But  I  don't  know  how  to  skate,"  said  Rose. 

"  Oh !  you'll  learn  in  no  time,"  said  Charlie  encouragingly. 
"  I  learned  in  an  hour.  Come :  Ned  Grant  and  I  will  hold  you 
up  on  each  side,  and  you'll  get  the  hang  of  it  at  once." 

So  Rose  had  her  skates  put  on,  and  started  off  with  a  boy 
on  either  side.  But  she  soon  found  that  the  expectation  Charlie 
had  held  out,  of  her  learning  in  an  hour,  was  a  vain  one.  As 
long  as  the  two  boys  held  her  up,  she  got  on  very  well ;  but, 
the  minute  they  let  go,  down  she  went  in  a  heap.  Half  an  hour 
passed,  and  she  made  no  more  progress  than  at  first.  She  was 
a  very  considerate  girl ;  and  so,  as  she  saw  that  she  was  keeping 
them  from  skating,  and  as  she  knew  that  they  would  never  leave 
her  by.  herself,  she  suddenly  discovered  that  she  was  very  tired, 
and  decided  that  her  skates  must  come  off.  The  boys  .remon 
strated  ;  but  she  persisted. 

Just  as  she  had  got  on  her  feet  without  them,  Tom  and  Will 
came  down. 

"  Why,  Rose  !  "  they  cried,  "  what  is  the  matter  ? " 

"She  says  she  is  tired,"  said  Ned  Grant;  "but  I  know  that  it 
is  only  because  she  thinks  that  she  is  troubling  us." 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  Tom :  "  I  have  an  idea."  And,  taking 
off  his  skates,  he  ran  to  the  house.  A  moment  later,  they  saw 
him  coming  back  with  a  rocking-chair  over  his  head. 

"  It  just  occurred  to  me  that  Rose  could  sit  on  this,  and  we 
-could  push  her.  I  think  it  will  run  nearly  as  easily  as  a  sled ; 


42  A    FIRE    ON    THE   ICE. 


and,  if  it  doesn't,  there  is  a  sled  in  the  barn.  Perhaps,  now  that 
I  have  my  skates  off,  I  had  better  get  that,  in  case  the  chair 
doesn't  work."  So  off  he  went  again,  and  soon  was  back  with 
the  sled,  and  a  rug  that  he  had  picked  up  on  the  way. 

The  chair  was  tried,  and  the  sled  both  ;  but  the  boys  pronounced 
in  favor  of  the  sled,  because  it  had  a  long  rope,  and  three  or 
four  could  draw  it  at  once.  So  Rose,  snugly  tucked  up  in  the 
rug,  was  soon  flying  to  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  where  the  others 
were. 

"  It  is  pretty  cold,"  said  Carrie  after  a  time :  "  one  has  to 
keep  moving  to  keep  warm.  I  should  think  you  would  freeze  on 
that  sled,  Rose." 

"  I  should,"  said  Rose ;  "  but  Tom  tucked  me  up  so  snugly, 
that  I  am  as  warm  as  toast." 

"  There  is  a  great  pile  of  old  fence-rails  on  our  land  close  by 
the  lake,"  said  Tom  ;  "  and  I  am  sure  that  we  could  have  some  to 
make  a  fire  on  the  ice." 

At  that  they  all  set  out  again  in  the  direction  of  home  ;  and, 
Mr.  Longwood's  consent  being  gained,  a  bright  blaze  was  soon 
made,  and  the  young  folk  gathered  around  it,  sitting  down  on 
sundry  rails  that  were  to  feed  the  fire  when  it  grew  low. 

Just  then  Ned  Grant  gave  a  frantic  scream. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  they  all  cried. 

'  That,"  said  Ned  with  much  gravity,  "  was  a  war-whoop.  I 
saw  Mary  Ann  out  by  the  kitchen-door,  and  thought  that  perhaps 
she  would  think  it  a  polite  attention  on  my  part  to  salute  her 
after  the  manner  of  her  nation." 

"  It  seems  to  have  been  a  very  effective  salute,  at  all  events." 


IS   IT   PEACE,    OR    WAR?  43 

said  Tom;  "  for  she  is  coming  this  way.  Look  out,  Ned,  for  your 
scalp;  for  she  may  be  on  the  war-path." 

"  That  basket  doesn't  look  like  it,"  said  Ned.  "  I  hope  it's 
sandwiches." 

Mary  Ann  by  this  time  had  reached  the  lake,  and  was  walking 
over  the  ice  toward  them  with  as  much  care  as  if  she  expected 
to  see  her  heels  fly  into  the  air  at  any  moment. 

"  Hillo,  Mary  Ann  !  what's  in  that  basket?"  said  Tom,  skating 
toward  her,  and  trying  to  take  it. 

"  Now  you  jist  git  along,"  said  Mary  Ann.  "  Fust  thing  you 
know,  I'll  be  down;  and  that's  no  laughing  matter.  Young  folks 
is  mighty  risky  of  their  lives.  I'd  no  more  put  them  skates  on 
my  feet  than  I'd  fly." 

The  basket  did  contain  sandwiches,  and  they  air  munched  them 
with  great  satisfaction. 

"  It's  eleven  o'clock  already,"  said  Carrie.  "  How  the  time  has 
flown  !  And  I'm  rather  tired  too.  What  do  you  say,  girls,  to  going 
in,  and  resting  till  dinner  ? " 

The  girls  all  fell  in  with  her  plan,  and  the  boys  were  soon  left 
alone. 

"  I  have  an  idea,"  said  Tom.  "  There  is  an  ice-boat  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  lake,  and  I  know  the  man  who  owns  it.  If  one 
of  you  fellows  will  go  with  me,  we  will  hunt  him  up,  and  see  if 
he  won't  take  us  out  in  her." 

Will  Morgan  and  he  thereupon  set  off;  and  in  about  twenty 
minutes  little  Jack,  who  was  on  the  lookout,  called  out,  "  There 
they  come!  They've  got  her!  I  see  a  sail!" 

A  minute  later  the   ice-boat  was   right  abreast  of  them,  flying 


44  JACK   HAS   AN  ACCIDENT. 

like  the  wind ;  Tom  and  Will  standing  up  and  waving  their  hats, 
and  shouting  like  two  young  lunatics. 

"  Hold  hard !  "  the  others  could  just  hear  a  gruff  voice  call  in 
the  distance ;  and  the  next  instant  the  boat  came  around  in  the  wind, 
and  moved  slowly  toward  them.  One  after  another,  they  took 
turns  in  sailing.  The  breeze  was  strong,  and  the  boat  fairly  flew. 
The  captain  turned  out  to  be  a  jolly  fellow  too,  and  he  let  the 
boys  help  manage  her  ;  and  altogether  they  were  in  such  a  wild 
state  of  delight,  that  the  napkin  tied  to  the  piazza-post  to  tell 
them  that  dinner  was  ready  was  not  seen  at  all,  and  Mr.  Longwood 
had  to  come  down  to  the  pier  and  call  again  and  again  before 
they  heard. 

After  dinner,  they  went  skating  again  as  wildly  as  if  they  had 
not  seen  ice  for  a  twelvemonth.  And  now  I  must  tell  you  what 
befell  Jack  Hastings.  It  had  got  to  be  four  o'clock,  and  the 
boys  were  playing  snap-the-whip.  Jack  was  on  the  very  end. 
How  it  happened  so,  I  know  not ;  for  he  was  a  little  fellow,  and 
they  were  always  very  careful  of  him.  Will  Morgan,  who  was 
the  strongest,  cracked  the  whip  ;  and  he  did  it  with  such  force, 
that  poor  Jack  was  thrown  down,  and  sent  flying  over  the  ice. 
Very  little  harm  would  have  been  done  by  this,  for  Jack  had  had 
at  least  fifty  hard  tumbles  that  day  before  ;  but  it  so  happened 
that  they  were  near  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  close  at  hand  was 
a  hole  that  had  been  broken  to  make  a  place  for  some  cattle  to 
drink. 

Toward  this  hole  Jack  went  flying,  and  into  it  he  plumped. 
The  water  could  not  have  been  more  than  a  foot  deep ;  but  when 
he  got  on  his  feet,  and  came  out,  he  was  pretty  thoroughly  wet. 


JACK   HASTINGS'  ACCIDENT. 


RUN,    YOUNGSTER,   RUN!  47 


His  coat  had  protected  his  body ;  but  they  could  hear  the  water 
crunch  in  his  boots  as  he  walked. 

"  Off  with  his  skates,  fellows !  quick !  "  cried  Ned  Grant, 
stooping  down  to  take  off  his  own.  "Run,  youngster!"  he  cried 
as  Jack  shook  off  the  last  strap  ;  and,  taking  him  by  the  shoulder, 
he  hurried  him  along  till  they  reached  the  house,  all  panting 
from  the  run. 

Mrs.  Longwood,  who  was  in  the  hall,  took  in  the  situation  at 
a  glance  ;  and  Master  Jack  was  hurried  up-stairs,  and,  before  he 
knew  it,  had  his  wet  things  off,  and  was  perched  up  on  a  table, 
where  Bridget  rubbed  him  dry,  while  Mrs.  Longwood  rummaged 
in  his  trunk  for  a  change  of  clothes.  They  were  soon  forthcom 
ing  ;  though  Bridget's  sharp  eye  found  that  a  button  was  off,  and 
so  she  stopped  to  put  it  on.  Jack  did  not  in  the  least  object  to 
the  delay,  but  seemed  to  take  a  great  satisfaction  in  the  whole 
business.  Especially  did  he  enjoy  it,  when,  in  answer  to  his 
mild  insinuation  that  a  hot  lemonade  was  capital  to  ward  off 
colds,  Mrs.  Longwood  sent  Bridget  down  to  make  one. 

But  after  dinner,  when  they  had  all  gathered  around  the  fire, 
Master  Jack  was  discovered  to  be  very  hoarse  ;  and  Mrs.  Long- 
wood,  in  spite  of  his  appeals,  and  his  statement  that  there  was 
nothing  the  matter  with  him,  decided  that  he  must  go  to  bed 
instanter.  So  he  was  packed  off  up-stairs  ;  and  his  bed  was  put 
into  her  room,  so  that  she  would  be  close  at  hand  in  case  he 
should  grow  worse  in  the  night. 

Jack  was  at  first  quite  inconsolable.  "  You  see,"  he  said  to 
Margaret,  Tom  and  Carrie's  old  nurse,  who  had  been  in  the 
family  for  years,  and  who  Helped  him  undress,  "  I  know  a  splen- 


48 


JACK  GOES   TO  BED. 


did  story  about  my  great-grandmother,  and  I  am  so  afraid  that 
some  of  the  fellows  may  tell  it !  However,"  he  went  on,  "  I  don't 
see  how  it  can  be  helped  ;  and  I  don't  believe  they  any  of  them 
ever  met  her,  anyway."  And,  with  this  bit  of  comfort  in  his. 
thoughts,  he  rolled  over,  and  was  soon  asleep. 


JACK  GOES  TO  BED. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


• 


It 


"  MY  story,"  said  Will, 
when  they  had  all  drawn 
up  into  a  great  circle  be 
fore  the  fire,  "  has  to  do 
with  Indians.  I  am  very 
sorry  that  it  has,  because 
Gertrude  begged  that  there 
should  be  no  Indian  sto 
ry  this  evening,  as  she  did 
not  want  to  have  another 
fright.  It  would  be  a 
pretty  difficult  thing  to  find 
any  part  of  early  American 
history  in  which  Indians 
did  not  play  a  part ;  and 
as  it  is  not  very  long,  and 
the  Indians  did  not  alto 
gether  have  the  best  of  it. 
perhaps  it  will  not  disturb 
her  slumbers,  after  all. 
is  a  ballad  ;  and  the  incidents  it  describes  must  have  taken 


AN    OLD    INDIAN    CHIEF. 


49 


50  THE   WOMEN  OF  MARBLEHEAD. 

place  in  King  Philip's  War,  of  which   Mr.  Longwood  told  us  last 
night. 

"It  is  called 

1677. 

Fair  blew  the  wind  at  Marblehead 

Long  years  ago,  on  a  morn  in  May, 
When  the  little  fleet  of  fishing  craft, 

Outward-bound,  left  the  quiet  bay; 
And  the  band  of  women  upon  the  pier 
Watched  them  grow  fainter,  with  sigh  and  tear. 
True  hearts  have  the  women  of  Marblehead. 

Scarce  had  a  fortnight  passed  and  gone, 

'Twas  the  Lord's  Day  morning,  clear  and  calm, 

From  the  open  doors  of  the  meeting-house 
Came  the  sound  of  the  closing  psalm, 

And  the  words  of  prayer  for  those  at  sea, 

That  the  Lord  would  be  with  them  where'er  they  be. 
Warm  hearts  have  the  women  of  Marblehead. 

Why  do  the  goodwives  crowd  on  the  steps, 

Shading  their  eyes  to  look  over  the  bay? 
What  is  so  strange  in  yon  incoming  sail? 

Why  do  they  start  when  they  hear  one  say, 
"  By  the  cut  of  her  jib,  'tis  my  goodman's  boat ; 
Tis  'The  William  and  Mary,'  right  well  I  know't"? 
Sharp  eyes  have  the  women  of  Marblehead. 

"What  harm  can  have  fallen  the  fishing-fleet, 

That  he  comes  alone  at  this  early  day?" 
Through  the  crowd,  at  her  word,  a  tremor  runs : 

"  To  the  pier  !  "  they  cry ;    "  to  the  pier  !     Away  ! 


SIXTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  SEVENTY-SEVEN.  51 

What  hinders  the  men,  that  so  slow  they  sail? 
Will  they  never  get  closer,  and  answer  our  hail?" 
Wild  fears  have  the  women  of  Marblehead. 

"  Skipper,  ahoy  !     What  news  do  ye  bring  ? 

Tell  us  at  once,  does  all  go  well?" 
"  God  have  mercy  !  "  the  skipper  said : 

"  Hard  is  my  fate  such  news  to  tell. 
Taken  or  slain  are  all  our  men, 
Routed  at  night  by  the  Indian." 

God  pity  the  women  of  Marblehead ! 

'•'Anchors  down  in  a  sheltered  cove, 

Reckoned  we  nought  of  a  hidden  foe. 
Down  came  the  heathen  five  hundred  strong, 

All  of  our  crews  asleep  below : 
Some  they  slew  with  a  savage  zest, 
But  to  sail  the  fleet  they  saved  the  rest." 

What  news  is  this,  women  of  Marblehead ? 

"  I  and  my  mates  we  watched  our  chance : 

Four  of  our  foes  we  pitched  into  the  sea, — 
Sharp  was  the  fight,  but  our  lives  were  at  stake,— 

Crowded  all  sail ;  and  so  here  we  be. 
Two  of  the  red  men  we  have  fast  bound 
Down  below  deck  all  safe  and  sound." 

Crazed  are  the  women  of  Marblehead. 

"  Kill  ! "  screamed  a  fisher-wife  lank  and  thin  : 
"  They  are  taken  red-handed,  these  murderers  ! " 

And  she  tore  her  sparse  and  grizzled  hair, 
And  hurled  a  stone  »*  the  prisoners. 


52  CAPTAIN  DAVENPORT  BUYS  INDIANS. 

Then  all  the  women  in  that  mad  crowd 
Tore  them  to  pieces  with  shriekings  loud. 

Have  a  care  of  the  women  of  Marblehead  ! 


"  Dear  me ! "  said  Lou,  "  do  you  mean  that  they  actually 
killed  them  ?  I  don't  believe  it.  Why,  it  was  ever  so  much 
worse  than  that  riding  of  Floyd  Ireson  in  a  cart,  that  Whittier 
wrote  about." 

"  Nevertheless,  it  is  so,"  said  Will.  "  The  old  record  says  that 
they,  in  a  tumultuous  way,  very  barbarously  murdered  them. 
Oh !  those  were  savage  days,  and  neither  side  had  much  to  boasf 
of.  In  the  same  book  where  I  found  that  story  there  is  a  letter 
from  an  officer.  After  telling  of  their  various  marches,  and  the 
number  of  prisoners  captured,  he  says,  — 

"'Dec.  17,  we  sold  Capt.  Davenport  forty-seven  Indians, 
young  and  old,  for  eighty  pounds  in  money.' ' 

"  Why,  what  could  Capt.  Davenport  do  with  them  ? "  asked 
Rose. 

"  He  burned  them  at  the  stake,  one  a  day,"  said  Ned  Grant 
solemnly. 

"  Nonsense !  he  did  nothing  of  the  sort,"  said  Will,  seeing 
Rose's  look  of  horror.  "  He  probably  sold  them  to  the  planta 
tions  in  the  West  Indies  as  slaves." 

"  That  was  about  as  bad,  anyway,"  said  Ned. 

"  We  must  remember,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that  there  was 
hardly  a  settler  who  had  not  lost  friends  or  a  home  by  the  sav 
ages.  They  came  to  be  regarded  as  wild  beasts  rather  than 
men." 


JOSIAS  PLAISTOWE  IS  CAUGHT  STEALING.  53 

"  The  people  who  landed  in  '  The  Mayflower '  did  not  think 
so,"  said  Carrie.  "  Almost  one  of  the  first  things  they  did  was  to 
make  a  treaty  with  the  Indians ;  and,  if  any  one  cheated  them,  he 
was  made  to  pay  for  it  severely.  Among  their  earliest  records," 
she  went  on,  taking  up  a  large  book,  and  reading  out  of  it, 
"  is  this  :  — 

" '  Josias  Plaistowe,  for  stealing  four  baskets  of  corn  from  the 
Indians,  is  ordered  to  return  them  eight  baskets,  to  be  fined  five 
pounds,  and  hereafter  to  be  called  by  the  name  Josias,  and  not 
Mr.  as  formerly  he  used  to  be.' ' 

"  What  a  learned  lady  you  are !  "  said  Ned  Grant,  very  much 
astonished. 

"  You  see,"  laughed  Carrie,  '^when  I  came  in  from  the  pond 
to  hunt  up  a  story  for  my  part  to-night,  I  took  down  an  old 
book  that  was  all  about  the  Pilgrims.  I  was  so  interested,  that 
I  read  on  until  nearly  tea-time ;  and  then  all  at  once  I  found  that 
I  had  no  story :  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  tell  something  about 
the  first  settlers  of  New  England." 

"  Blaze  away !  "  said  Tom. 

"  Well,"  said  Carrie,  "the  Pilgrims,  you  know,  fled  from  Eng 
land,  where  they  were  persecuted  because  of  their  religious  be 
lief,  and  went  to  Holland,  and  formed  a  settlement  there.  But, 
after  a  time,  they  became  dissatisfied.  They  did  not  want  their 
children  to  grow  up  Dutchmen  ;  and,  as  they  had  heard  a  great 
deal  about  the  New  World,  they  decided  that  they  would  go  to 
America,  and  form  a  new  colony.  The  land  on  the  Hudson 
River  was  known  to  be  excellent,  and  they  intended  to  settle 
there. 


54 


DEPARTURE  FROM  DELFT  HA  VEN. 


"As  all  could  not  leave  at  once,  they  selected  out  of  their 
number  some  to  go  before.  All  flocked  to  Delft  Haven,  where 
their  vessel  lay ;  and,  amid  the  tears  and  prayers  of  those  left  be 
hind,  the  sails  were  hoisted,  and  the  good  ship  soon  left  Holland 


DELFT    HAVEN. 


on  the  lee.  Another  vessel  had  been  hired,  which  joined  them 
at  Southampton ;  and  together,  their  prows  headed  westward,  they 
set  out  for  the  New  World. 

"  But  storms  soon   came,  and   it  was   found  that  '  The  Speed- 


LAND  HO!  AT  LAST. 


55 


well '  was  unseaworthy.  There  was  no  help  but  to  put  back  to 
port.  Part  of  their  number  had  to  be  left  behind.  The  rest, 
crowded  together  in  close  quarters  in  '  The  Mayflower,'  once  more 
set  sail,  on  the  6th  of  September,  and,  after  fifty-five  days  of 
weary  tossing  and  violent  storms,  saw  land  before  them.  They 
hailed  it  with  joy,  though  it  was  but  the  barren  sands  of  Cape 


THE   "  MAYFLOWER  "  AND   "  SPEEDWELL." 

Cod,  and  many  miles  north  of  the  Hudson  River,  for  which  they 
had  set  out." 

"  How  many  were  there  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  One  hundred  and  two,"  said  Carrie.  "  One  baby  was  born 
on  the  way,  and  he  was  named  Oceanus.  There  were  a  good 
many  children,  and  they  had  such  odd  names !  There  were 


56  CAPTAIN  STANDISH  GOES  A-SCOUTING. 

Humility  Cooper,  and  Desire  Minter,  Remember  Allerton,  Love 
Brewster,  and  Wrastle  Brewster.  These  last  were  brother  and 
sister ;  and  their  other  two  sisters,  Fear  and  Patience,  came  over 
later.  If  the  children  were  as  sober  as  their  names,  what  sol 
emn  little  groups  must  have  played  together  on  '  The  Mayflower's ' 
deck  ! 

"  Well,  when  they  found  that  they  were  so  far  north  of  where 
they  intended  to  be,  they  were,  as  I  said,  very  much  disap 
pointed.  But  they  decided  that  it  was  so  late  in  the  season, 
that  it  would  not  do  to  go  farther,  but  that  they  must  get  ashore, 
and  build  them  houses  before  the  winter  was  upon  them.  It 
was  very  well  that  they  did  not  go  to  the  Hudson  River ;  for  the 
fiercest  Indians  in  the  whole  country  were  there,  and  they  would, 
no  doubt,  have  been  cut  off  speedily ;  while  the  whole  coast  here 
about  had  been  visited  only  three  years  before  by  a  great  pesti 
lence,  that  had  carried  off  nearly  all  the  natives,  leaving  the 
country  almost  uninhabited. 

"  Scouting  -parties  were  sent  out  every  few  days  to  find  a 
good  place  to  begin  the  town.  The  first  of  these,  consisting  of 
sixteen  men,  under  the  lead  of  their  captain,  Miles  Standish, 
marched  afoot,  each  man  armed  with  musket,  sword,  and  corselet. 
They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  saw  five  or  six  Indians ;  but 
these  had  no  sooner  seen  them,  than  they  fled  into  the  woods  at 
the  top  of  their  speed.  The  scouting-party  followed  their  tracks 
some  ten  miles ;  but  the  Indians  were  too  fleet  to  be  overtaken. 
Night  came  on  ;  and,  stationing  three  sentinels,  they  built  a  fire, 
and  lay  about  it  till  morning. 

"  As  soon  as  daylight  appeared  they  followed  the  tracks  once 


OFF   FOR  THE   NEW   WORLD. 


THE  f  DRINK  NE  W-  ENGLAND    WA  TER. 


more,  hoping  to  fall  in  with  some  of  the  natives,  or  at  least  to 
find  their  houses.  But  though  they  went  on  through  bush  and 
brake,  so  wild  that  their  very  armor  was  torn,  they  could  find 
neither.  They  were  nearly  famished  with  thirst  too  ;  for  they  had 
brought  neither  water  nor  beer  with  them,  and  theirs  had  been  a 
long  and  weary  tramp.  But  at  ten  they  came  upon  a  deep  valley 
with  a  spring,  '  of  which,'  says  one,  '  we  were  heartily  glad,  and 
sat  us  down,  and  drunk  our  first  New-England  water  with  as 
much  delight  as  ever  we  drunk  drink  in  all  our  lives.' 

"  Then  their  march  was  taken  up  again.  After  a  time  they 
discovered  patches  of  cleared  ground,  where  Indian  -corn  had 
evidently  been  planted.  A  little  farther  on  there  were  a  few 
boards  where  a  wigwam  had  been,  and  a  heap  of  fresh  sand 
smoothly  piled  up. 

"  This  they  digged  into,  and  found  within  it  a  basket  of  Indian- 
corn.  It  was  a  great  blessing  to  them  ;  for  in  this  way  they  got 
seed  for  their  next  year's  crop.  Indian-corn  was  not  known  in 
Europe  ;  and  the  grain  that  they  brought  with  them  did  so  poorly, 
that  they  soon  came  to  depend  entirely  upon  it.  Taking  what 
they  could  carry,  they  set  out  once  more.  Again  night  came, 
and  again  they  camped  out  by  a  fire,  three  sentinels  keeping 
watch  as  before.  They  were  now  not  far  from  the  ship,  and,  in 
the  morning,  made  their  way  back  to  her. 

"  One  of  the  party  fell  into  a  deer-  trap,  and  was  caught  by  a 
noose  around  his  leg.  It  was  well  for  him  that  his  friends  were 
with  him,  or  he  might  have  dangled  head  downward  in  the  air, 
as  the  trap  was  made  by  bending  down  a  strong  sapling,  which, 
being  suddenly  set  free,  snapped  back,  dragging  any  poor  animal1 
whom  it  had  caught  into  the  air. 


60  A   PERILOUS  ADVENTURE. 

"  After  the  victim  had  been  set  free,  they  soon  reached  the 
ship,  weary  enough. 

"  Another  party  set  out  a  few  days  later  in  the  shallop.  They 
camped  the  first  night  in  a  favorable  spot  on  the  beach  ;  but  the 
next  morning,  when  they  were  about  to  set  sail  again,  there  came 
an  Indian  war-whoop  and  a  flight  of  arrows.  They  sprang  to 
their  arms,  and  there  was  a  sharp  fight  for  a  few  moments ;  but 
the  white  men's  weapons  soon  put  the  savages  to  flight,  and  the 
party  resumed  their  journey. 

"  The  day  was  wild  and  stormy.  The  spray  dashed  over  them, 
freezing  as  it  fell,  until  they  were  coated  with  ice.  Snow  and 
rain  came  to  add  to  their  misery.  Just  at  dark  the  gale  increased. 
At  a  critical  moment  their  mast  broke  into  three  pieces,  and  in 
an  instant  more  they  would  have  been  in  the  breakers.  But  the 
sailor  who  was  steering  called  to  them,  if  they  were  men,  to  put 
the  boat  about,  and  pull  with  the  oars  for  their  lives.  They 
needed  no  spur,  but  tugged  with  might  and  main,  and  so  at  last 
got  into  smooth  water  under  the  lee  of  an  island.  They  were 
afraid  to  go  ashore,  for  fear  of  Indians ;  and  yet  staying  out  in  a 
December  rain,  wet  to  the  skin,  in  an  open  boat,  was  worse.  So 
they  ventured  to  land,  and  built  them  a  fire,  and  fortunately  were 
not  disturbed  by  the  Indians  at  all.  We  may  be  very  certain 
that  this  party  were  very  glad  to  get  back  to  their  ship. 

"  At  last,  after  exploring  still  farther,  they  decided  on  settling 
at  Plymouth ;  and  on  Christmas  Day  all  the  men  were  at  work  on 
land,  building  their  houses." 

"And  did  they  all  live  on  the  ship  from  the  Qth  of  Novem 
ber  until  Christmas?"  asked  Tom. 


THE  BILLING  TON  BOY.  6 1 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrie ;  "  except  that  the  women  went  on  shore 
at  times  under  guard  to  wash." 

"Whew!"  whistled  Tom.  "  I  am  glad  I  wasn't  there.  Just 
think  of  being  close  to  shore  for  more  than  six  weeks,  and  not 
being  able  to  land !  I  should  have  been  wild." 

"There  was  a  boy  just  like  you,  Tom.  His  name  was  Bil- 
lington.  He  must  have  felt  wild  too.  When  his  father  was 
away  on  an  expedition  he  got  some  gunpowder  and  made  squibs, 
which  he  let  off  on  deck.  Then  he  went  into  his  father's  cabin 
and  took  his  fowling-piece,  and  fired  it  off.  It  was  a  wonder  he 
did  no  damage;  for  not  only  was  the  piece  loaded,  but  there  was 
half  a  keg  of  gunpowder  open  in  the  room. 

"  They  were  all  happy  enough  to  get  on  shore ;  but  on  the 
scouting-expeditions  many  had  been  wet  through,  and  then  ex 
posed  to  icy  cold ;  and  they  had  often  had  to  wade  ashore  from 
their  boats  through  the  surf;  and  a  great  illness  came  on,  so  that, 
before  the  end  of  March,  there  were  only  fifty  left  alive. 

"  But  before  this  their  town  of  log-houses  had  been  built.  It 
had  one  broad  street  running  up  a  hillside.  At  the  top  of  the 
hill,  said  a  visitor  who  was  there  soon  after  it  was  finished,  '  they 
have  a  large  square  house  with  a  flat  roof,  made  of  thick-sawn 
planks,  stayed  with  oak  beams,  upon  the  top  of  which  they  have  six 
cannon,  which  shoot  iron  balls  of  four  or  five  pounds  weight,  and 
command  the  surrounding  country.  The  lower  part  they  use  for 
their  church,  where  they  preach  on  Sundays  and  the  usual  holidays. 
They  assemble  by  beat  of  drum,  each  with  his  musket  or  firelock, 
in  front  of  the  captain's  door.  They  have  their  cloaks  on,  and  place 
themselves  in  order  three  abreast,  and  are  led  by  a  sergeant  without 
beat  of  drum. 


A   SMILING    YOUNG    WOMAN. 


"  '  Behind  comes  the  governor  in  a  long  robe ;  beside  him,  on 
the  right  hand,  comes  the  preacher,  with  his  cloak  on  ;  and  on  the 
left  hand  the  captain,  with  his  side-arm  and  cloak  on,  and  with  a 
small  cane  in  his  hand :  and  so  they  march  in  good  order,  and 
each  sets  his  arms  down  near  him.' " 

"  What  larks  !  "  said  Tom. 


THE   FORT  ON   THE   HILL. 

"  Not  so  much  as  it  may  seem,"  said  Carrie.  "  These  were 
very  solemn  people.  Why,  a  young  woman,  a  servant,  was  threat 
ened  with  being  sent  out  of  the  country  as  a  common  vagabond, 
only  because  she  smiled  in  church.  And  they  did  not  think  that 
any  one  should  spend  any  thought  on  their  clothes.  In  Holland 


TIIK    CALL   TO   PRAYER. 


WHALEBONES  IN  HER  BODICE.  65 

some  of  them  raised  a  great  complaint  because  one  of  the  minis 
ters'  wives  wore  whalebones  in  her  bodice  and  sleeves,  and  corked 
shoes ;  and  one  old  woman  who  had  entertained  a  clergyman, 
when  he  was  about  to  depart  came  up  to  him,  and  felt  of  his 
band,  for  her  eyes  were  dim  with  age,  and,  finding  that  it  had  been 
stiffened  with  starch,  was  much  incensed,  and  reproved  him  sharply, 
fearing  God  would  not  prosper  his  journey. 

"  If  you  had  lived  in  those  days,  Master  Tom,  I  don't  believe 
you  would  have  read  your  Sunday-school  book  during  the  sermon, 
as  I  saw  you  doing  last  Sunday." 

"  I  don't  believe  I  should  have  had  any  to  read,"  said  Tom, 
laughing. 

"  The  laws  that  they  made  were  very  strict.  Here  are  one  or 
two  of  them  :  — 

"  A  stubborn  and  rebellious  son,  and  any  one  who  cursed  his 
parents,  was  to  be  put  to  death. 

"  Profane  cursing  and  swearing  was  fined  ten  shillings;  and,  if 
there  were  more  than  one  oath  at  a  time,  twenty  shillings. 

"  Idle  people  and  tobacco- takers  were  to  be  at  once  taken 
before  a  magistrate  for  punishment. 

"  Any  person  who  walked  in  the  streets  or  fields  on  the  sab 
bath  was  fined  ten  shillings. 

"  One  of  the  most  common  of  their  punishments  was  the  pil 
lory.  On  a  raised  platform,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people,  in 
some  public  place,  the  convicted  person  was  made  to  stand.  Some 
times  his  head  and  feet  were  put  into  the  stocks  in  addition. 

" '  Edward  Palmer,  for  his  extortion  in  taking  two  pounds  thir 
teen  shillings  and  fourpence  for  the  woodwork  of  Boston  stocks, 


66  WELCOME,   ENGLISHMEN.' 

is  fined  five  pounds,  and  ordered  to  be  set  one  hour  in  the 
stocks.' 

"The  pillory  continued  many  years  in  New  England,  —  long 
after  the  log-huts  had  given  place  to  well-built  houses.  The 
Pilgrims  were  sorely  troubled  with  later  emigrants  who  differed 
somewhat  from  them  in  religious  matters  ;  and  many  was  the  per 
son  condemned  as  a  scoffer,  whom  they  made  to  stand  on  it. 

"  Their  encounter  with  the  Indians  made  them  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  all  the  time  that  they  worked  in  building ;  but  though 
they  saw  the  smoke  of  their  fires  in  the  woods  about  them,  yet 
none  of  the  natives  themselves  were  to  be  seen.  But  one  day, 
right  down  the  village  street,  came  an  Indian.  He  walked  boldly 
into  their  midst ;  and  they  were  astonished  to  hear  him  say,  '  Wel 
come,  Englishmen ! '  He  had  picked  up  a  little  English  from  the 
crews  of  some  ships  that  had  been  on  the  coast  fishing  ;  and  this 
now  stood  them  in  good  stead,  for  he  became  their  interpreter  to 
the  other  Indians.  He  was  most  friendly,  and,  in  spite  of  their 
hints  to  the  contrary,  stayed  all  night.  In  the  morning  they  sent 
him  away  loaded  with  presents,  and  bade  him  take  friendly  mes 
sages  to  the  other  Indians,  and  tell  them  to  bring  beaver  skins  to 
trade. 

"  He  did  his  errand  faithfully ;  and  on  the  next  Sunday  he 
re-appeared,  followed  by  several  stalwart  fellows  bearing  the  skins. 
But  it  was  Sunday,  and  the  Pilgrims  would  do  no  business  on 
that  day.  They  gave  them  presents,  and  bade  them  come  again. 
In  a  few  days,  Massasoit,  the  sachem  of  the  tribe  that  lived  about 
them,  paid  them  a  visit  with  some  sixty  warriors,  all  with  their  best 
paint  on.  The  faces  of  some  were  red,  and  of  some  black,  and 


SCOFFERS   IN   THE   STOCKS. 


THE  BILLINGTON  BOY  AGAIN.  69 

they  were  all  stalwart  fellows  ;  so  that  our  friends  only  received  the 
chief  and  some  few  of  his  principal  men  into  the  town,  while  the 
rest  waited  outside.  They  feasted  them,  and  gave  them  strong 
water  to  drink.  It  made  Massasoit's  eyes  fairly  start  out  of  his 
head  at  first,  and  then  it  threw  him  into  a  great  heat ;  but  his 
reception  pleased  him  very  much,  and  he  made  a  treaty  with  them, 
and  kept  it  so  faithfully,  that  they  could  wander  alone  anywhere 
about  in  the  forests  in  perfect  safety.  The  Indians  were  only  too 
glad  to  trade  beaver-skins  ;  and  the  women  fancied  the  things  they 
had  to  offer  so  much,  that  they  sold  their  dresses  of  beaver  off 
their  backs. 

"  That  dreadful  Billington  boy  now  made  as  great  an  excite 
ment  as  he  did  when  he  nearly  blew  up  '  The  Mayflower.'  He 
got  lost  in  the  woods.  They  had  about  given  up  hope  of  finding 
him,  when  they  learned  that  he  had  been  discovered  by  a  tribe 
of  Indians  that  lived  some  distance  away.  So  Capt.  Standish 
had  to  take  a  boat's  crew,  and  go  after  him.  It  took  four  or  five 
days. 

"  Boys,"  said  Carrie,  looking  about  her  in  a  very  superior  way, 
"  are  a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

Ned  Grant  opened  his  mouth  to  defend  the  poor  boys,  at 
tacked  in  this  sudden  and  unexpected  manner  ;  but  Carrie  made 
haste  to  go  on  before  he  could  begin  :  — 

"  They  kept  on  very  friendly  terms  with  Massasoit,  and  he 
was  always  their  firm  ally.  Through  him  they  learned  of  a  plan 
of  some  of  the  other  tribes  to  cut  them  off  to  a  man.  Pecksuot 
and  Wituwamet  were  the  two  men  at  the  head  of  the  conspiracy. 
The  governor  of  the  colony  called  a  meeting.  It  was  necessary 


70  AN  ARMY  OF  NINE  MEN. 

to  act  instantly,  or  it  might  be  too  late.  They  called  upon  Capt. 
Standish,  who  was  always  ready.  Selecting  eight  men,  he  set 
out  at  once  for  the  enemy's  country.  As  soon  as  they  reached 
it  an  Indian  came,  pretending  that  he  wanted  to  trade,  but  in 
reality  as  a  spy.  Standish  received  him  pleasantly,  as  he  did  not 
want  his  plans  suspected  ;  but  the  man  went  back  to  his  fellows, 
and  reported  that  he  saw  by  the  captain's  eyes  that  he  was 
angry. 

"  Wituwamet  and  Pecksuot  were  very  bold  and  confident. 
They  had  their  followers  in  strong  force  with  them,  and  whetted 
and  sharpened  their  knife-points  before  his  face,  and  used  many 
impudent  gestures.  Wituwamet  bragged  of  his  knife,  which  had 
a  woman's  face  on  the  handle :  '  but,'  he  said,  '  I  have  another  at 
home,  wherewith  I  have  killed  both  French  and  English,  and  that 
hath  a  man's  face  on  it;  and  by  and  by  these  two  must  marry.' 
Pecksuot,  being  a  large  man,  laughed  at  Capt.  Standish  because 
he  was  small;  but  the  captain  said  nothing,  biding  his  time. 

"The  next  day  they  were  in  a  room  together,  —  the  two  con 
spirators  and  another  Indian,  and  the  captain  and  two  of  his 
men.  The  time  had  come.  Calling  to  his  men  outside  to  make 
fast  the  door,  he  rushed  upon  Pecksuot,  and,  tearing  his  knife 
from  his  neck,  after  a  fearful  struggle  killed  him.  The  other  two 
men  killed  Wituwamet,  and  bound  the  other.  The  uprising  of 
the  Indians  was  at  an  end  ;  and  the  little  army  of  nine  marched 
back  to  their  town,  to  be  received  in  triumph. 

"  And  I  had  just  read  as  far  as  that,"  said  Carrie,  "  when  the 
tea-bell  rang  ;  and  so  that  is  all  I  have  to  tell." 

"  Capt.  Standish  must  have  been   a   brave    man,"  said    Charlie 


CAPT.   STANDISH'S  HOUSE. 


Morgan,  "to  have  attacked  Pecksuot   hand  to  hand;   for  he  could 
easily  have  killed  him  with  his  musket  without  risk  to  himself." 

"  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  but 
of  great  personal  courage.  He  had  a  very  quick  temper;  but  it 
always  seemed  to  blaze  out  at  exactly  the  right  moment  for  the 


THE    HOUSE   THAT   CAPT.    STANDISH    BUILT. 


good  of  the  colonists,  as  in  this  case,  where  the  sudden  slaughter 
of  a  few  Indians,  no  doubt,  saved  them  all  from  destruction.     He 
was  one  of  the  chief  men  of  New  England  during  his  whole  life 
The  house  that  he  built  and  lived  in  is  still  standing." 


CHAPTER  V. 


"  WHAT  are  we  to  do 
to-day  ? "  asked  Tom  the 
next  morning  as  they  sat 
at  the  breakfast  -  table. 
The  boys  had  not  got 
up  so  early  as  on  the 
day  before  :  indeed,  truth 
compels  me  to  say  that 
Tom  and  Will  did  not  put 
in  an  appearance  until 
after  all  the  rest  were 
seated.  Jack  Hastings  was  the  first  to  show  himself,  and  he  had 
been  stumping  up  and  down  stairs  to  hurry  up  the  others  ever 
since.  He  had  made  one  trip  to  the  kitchen ;  but  Mary  Ann, 
who  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  him,  tried  to  kiss  him,  and  he 
had  beaten  a  hasty  retreat  to  the  parlor  in  great  dudgeon.  His 
cold  was  all  gone,  and  he  felt,  as  he  himself  expressed  it,  as 
jolly  as  a  sand-boy. 

"  I  ordered  the  big  sleigh  to  be   here   at  half-past    nine,"  said 
Mr.    Longwood   in    answer  to    Tom's    question.      "  So,  if  you    all 
like,  we  will  drive   over  to    Shinnecock    Bay.     If  it  were   summer 
72 


NED  GRANT  DESCRIBES   THE  SHINNECOCKS.  73 

we  could  take  a  boat,  and  sail  across  to  the  light-house ;  but  now 
the  bay  must  be  full  of  ice,  so  that  sailing  is  no  easy  matter. 
We  can  see  the  Shinnecock  Indians :  and  I  told  the  stable-man 
to  put  in  four  horses  that  could  travel  at  a  good  rate  of  speed; 
so  that,  if  we  do  nothing  more,  we  shall,  I  hope,  have  a  pleasant 
ride." 

"  It  will  be  very  interesting  to  see  the  Indians  and  their  vil 
lage,"  said  Lou.  "  I  have  never  seen  any  real  Indians." 

"  You  must  not  be  frightened,"  said  Ned,  "  if  they  seem  a 
little  wild.  I  read  in  a  government  agent's  report  a  while  ago 
that  all  attempts  to  civilize  the  Indians  had  failed,  and  that  they 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave  off  their  paint  and  barbarous 
ways.  But  there  are  too  many  in  our  party  for  them  to  dare 
attack  us.  So  if  you  see  one  push  aside  the  skins  that  make 
the  door  of  his  wigwam,  and  come  striding  toward  us,  the  feath 
ers  in  his  crest  quivering  with  his  excitement,  while,  he  carries 
a  murderous  knife  in  his  belt,  you  must  not  be  frightened.  Just 
keep  your  eyes  fixed  on  him,  and  don't  show  fear  in  your  face, 
and  you  are  all  right." 

"  I  don't  think  I  want  to  go,"  said  Gertrude  Hastings.  "  It 
sounds  pretty  dreadful." 

"  Pshaw  !  "  said  Jack.  "  Don't  be  a  coward.  Remember  what 
stuff  your  great-grandmother  was  made  of.  Mr.  Longwood  is 
sure  to  be  known,  and  they  won't  dare  to  touch  us." 

"  Soon  the  jingle  of  bells  was  heard,  and  the  sleigh  came  up 
to  the  door.  All  hurried  to  put  on  their  wraps,  and  were  in  a 
short  time  on  the  piazza  ready  to  start.  But  they  found  the 
sleigh  already  occupied.  Thistle  had  full  possession  of  the  high 


74  GARM  TAKES  A   SLEIGH-RIDE. 

seat  beside  the  driver  ;  and  Garm  had  climbed  on  behind,  and 
was  stretched  at  full  length  upon  the  straw  at  the  bottom,  where 
he  lay  eying  the  party,  and  lazily  beating  his  tail  upon  the  floor, 
but  making  no  move  to  come  out. 

"Get  down,  sir!"  called  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  Oh,  let  us  take  them  with  us !  "  cried  two  or  three  of  the 
girls.  "  There  will  be  plenty  of  room ;  and,  if  Garm  lies  the  way 
he  now  is,  he  will  be  as  good  as  a  foot-stove." 

So  they  all  made  haste  to  clamber  in.  Garm  seemed  to  en 
joy  it  hugely.  His  tail  beat  the  floor  harder  than  ever,  but  he 
made  no  attempt  to  move;  and  when  they  were  all  seated,  and 
the  robes  pulled  up  over  their  laps,  no  one  would  have  had  an 
idea  that  a  dog  was  anywhere  about. 

"  How  is  he  to  breathe  ? "  asked  Rose.  "  He  will  certainly 
suffocate  where  he  is." 

"  Never  fear,"  said  Tom :  "  he  will  let  us  know  when  he  wants 
to  change  his  position." 

Jack  had  clambered  up  to  the  high  seat,  and  Thistle  was  in 
his  lap;  and  the  sleigh  was  soon  off.  Master  Jack  lost  no  time 
in  opening  a  conversation  with  the  driver,  and  they  were  soon 
on  the  best  of  terms. 

"  There,"  said  the  man,  pointing  ahead  with  his  whip  after 
they  had  been  riding  about  half  an  hour,  "  that  fence  there 
marks  the  boundary  of  the  Reservation.  We  go  through  that 
gate  yonder." 

"  I'll  jump  down  and  open  it,"  said  Jack. 

"  No,  you  needn't,"  said  the  driver  :  "  that  Injun  walking  ahead 
of  us  will  get  there  just  as  we  do." 


A   REAL  SHINNECOCK   WARRIOR.  75 

"  Is  that  an  Injun  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Oh,  yes!"  was  the  reply. 

Jack  stared  very  hard  at  him  as  they  came  closer ;  and  when 
the  man  pulled  open  the  gate,  and  held  it  for  them  to  pass 
through,  he  turned  around,  and  called  out,  — 

"Gertrude,  Gertrude,  here  is  a  warrior!     Don't  be  afraid!" 

"  Where  ?  where  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 

"  Why,  holding  open  the  gate !  Don't  you  see  him  ?  "  said 
Jack. 

''That  isn't  an  Indian,"  said  Gertrude:  "that's  a  negro.  —  Is  it 
an  Indian,  Mr.  Longwood  ?  " 

The  man  was  very  old,  and  bent  nearly  double.  His  head 
was  covered  with  wool,  and  his  features  were  coarse  like  a 
negro's.  He  carried  a  basket  on  one  arm,  and  a  long  staff  in 
his  hand,  and  made  his  way  on  very  slowly  and  painfully. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that,  if  you  believed  all 
that  Ned  told  you  this  morning,  you  will  be  somewhat  disap 
pointed.  The  Shinnecocks  intermarried  with  negroes  to  such  an 
extent,  that  the  present  generation  are  virtually  negroes.  Instead 
of  going  on  the  war-path  like  their  ancestors,  they  fish,  and  pick 
huckleberries  to  sell  at  the  boarding-houses." 

They  were  now  fairly  in  the  Reservation,  and  the  children 
looked  about  them  with  much  interest.  They  were  on  a  great 
open  moor,  with  not  a  tree  or  fence  to  break  the  view.  On  all 
sides  the  land  lay  as  if  it  had  once  been  a  sea  of  rolling  waves 
suddenly  changed  to  earth ;  while  over  all  was  the  pure  white 
snow,  dazzlingly  bright  in  the  sunlight. 

"  In  the  summer,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  all  this  land  is  the 
feeding-ground  of  great  herds  of  cattle." 


76  ONE  LITTLE  INJUN  BOY. 

Just  at  this  moment  they  passed  a  small  Indian  boy.  He,  too, 
looked  like  a  negro. 

"  Have  a  ride  ? "  called  Tom,  who  was  at  the  end  of  the 
sleigh. 

"  Thankee,"  said  the  boy,  and  ran  and  jumped  on  the  step. 

Now,  whether  it  was  the  boy's  voice,  or  whether  it  was  that 
he  had  been  asleep,  and  dreamed  that  the  company  were  in  great 
danger,  from  which  only  prompt  action  on  his  part  could  save 
them,  I  do  not  know ;  but  it  is  certain  that  Garm  chose  that 
moment  to  spring  up.  He  dashed  on  to  his  feet,  sending  the 
robes  right  and  left,  and,  stretching  himself  to  his  full  height, 
opened  his  mouth,  and  gave  a  deep  bay. 

"  Lord  a  massy !  "  said  the  little  Indian  boy ;  and  he  jumped 
off,  and  took  to  his  heels  across  the  fields  at  the  top  of  his 
speed. 

Garm  made  no  attempt  to  follow  him ;  but  the  sight  was  too 
much  for  Thistle.  He  wiggled  out  of  Jack's  arms ;  took  a  flying 
leap,  landing  on  Carrie's  head;  and  then  rushed  across  their  laps 
to  get  out  behind.  In  another  moment  he  would  have  been 
after  the  boy ;  but  Tom  caught  him  as  he  was  just  jumping,  and, 
despite  all  his  struggles,  held  him  fast. 

"  Stop  !  stop  !  "  said  Mr.  Longwood  to  the  driver.  "  Call  to 
the  boy,  Tom,  to  come  back." 

Tom  shouted,  and  the  boy  turned  around.  He  stood  still 
eying  them  for  a  long  time,  but  was  very  slow  in  his  progress 
back,  until  he  understood  that  Tom  had  a  ten-cent  piece  for  him, 
when  he  mastered  his  fears,  and  came  and  climbed  up  where  he 
was  before,  only  saying,  — 


THE  GARDENS  OF  THE  SEA.  77 

"  Sakes !     I  thought  I  was  going  to  be  eaten  up." 

Gertrude  soon  found  that  Ned's  pictures  of  Indian  life  were 
not,  as  Mr.  Longwood  had  hinted,  very  true  as  far  as  the  Shinne- 
cocks  were  concerned.  There  were  no  wigwams  built  of  skins,, 
but,  instead,  neat  little  frame-houses,  at  whose  doors  and  windows 
they  saw  negro  men  and  women  standing;  though  here  and  there 
the  long  straight  black  hair  and  aquiline  features  of  one  showed 
that  the  blood  of  his  Indian  ancestors  had  not  all  gone.  The 
children  were  much  more  interested  when  after  a  time  the 
village  was  left  far  behind,  and  a  sudden  turn  in  the  road 
brought  them  right  upon  the  bay. 

It  was  a  sight  to  be  remembered.  The  water  was  everywhere 
covered  with  white-capped  waves,  while  away  out  on  a  narrow 
spit  of  land  that  run  far  into  the  bay,  the  tall  white  tower  of 
the  light-house  reared  itself  against  the  sky. 

"  Isn't  it  beautiful  ?  "  said  Carrie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood. 


"The  gardens  of  the  sea  are  all  abloom 

This  chill  December  day : 
The  wild  clematis  hangs  her  clusters  out 
On  tumbling  waves  that  break  in  watery  rout 

O'er  all  the  tossing  bay. 

The  wild  winds  tear  the  petals  from  the  flowers  : 

They  fall  like  drops  of  rain ; 
Their  faint  salt  breath  on  every  landward  breeze 
Comes  up  from  off  the  ever-heaving  seas,  — 

The  breath  of  sea-flowers  slain. 


78  GARM   WINS   THE  RACE. 

These  are  no  blossoms  born  of  April  showers 

And  the  warm  sun  of  May : 
The  hoarse  winds  raving  o'er  the  watery  waste 
Call  the  chill  sea-flowers  forth  in  eager  haste 

To  bloom  and  fade  away." 

Away  down  the  beach,  on  a  little  bluff,  they  could  see  a  small 
house.  Drawn  up  on  the  sands  before  it  was  a  boat,  and  they 
could  make  out  two  or  three  figures  moving  about. 

"Let's  take  a  run  over  there,  fellows,  to  warm  us  up!"  called 
out  Tom.  "The  tide  has  washed  the  snow  off  the  beach,  and 
we  can  race." 

The  boys  all  jumped  out  at  this,  and  made  off,  followed  by 
the  two  dogs.  Mr.  Longwood  called  after  them  not  to  be  gone 
long ;  but  they  were  shouting  so,  that  I  doubt  whether  any  of 
them  heard  what  he  said. 

Garm  was  the  first  to  reach  the  goal ;  but  the  boys  were  close 
upon  his  heels.  They  found  a  man  at  work  at  the  boat,  stopping 
up  the  seams  where  they  had  warped ;  while  two  boys  looked  on. 
Our  party  watched  him  for  a  time  with  great  interest. 

"  The  boat  seems  pretty  old,"  said  Will  at  last. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man:  "she  hasn't  been  used  for  several  years, — 
not  since  the  inlet  was  closed.  But,  now  that  it  has  been  opened, 
there  is  a  chance  for  fishing  again :  so  I  have  hauled  her  up  here 
for  repairs." 

"  How  do  you  mean  about  an  inlet  being  opened  ? "  asked 
Will. 

"You  see,"  said  the  man,  "that  there  used  to  be  an  inlet 
from  the  ocean  to  the  bay.  Then  the  blue-fish  could  run  into  the 


PAINTING   THE   OLD    FISHING-BOAT 


HAULING   THE  SEINE. 


81 


bay,  which  made  prime  fishing.  Or  we  could  sail  out  into  the 
ocean,  and  fish  there.  But  the  storms  closed  it  up,  and  kept  it  so 
for  several  years.  That  has  stopped  most  of  the  fishing;  for  the 
surf  is  so  heavy  on  the  ocean,  that  it  is  no  light  task  to  launch  a 
boat.  This  winter  the  inlet  has  opened  again,  and  all  the  fisher 
men  feel  happy." 

"  What  do  you  fish 
for  ?  "  asked  Charlie  Mor 
gan. 

"  Mossbunkers,  a 
good  deal  of  the  time," 
said  the  man.  "  We  go 
out  with  a  boat  like 
my  '  Phillis '  here,  and 
a  couple  of  row-boats. 
Pretty  soon  we  see  a 
school  of  mossbunkers, 
—  menhaden  some  call 
them.  They  run  so  thick, 
that  you  can  see  them  a 
long  way  off  by  the  dark 
color  of  the  water.  Then 
we  get  out  the  seine  and 


A   HAUL  OF   MOSSBUNKERS. 


the  small  boats,  drag  the 

seine  around  the  fish,  bring  them  up  to  '  The  Phillis's '  side,  and  dump 

them  in.     Sometimes  we  get  six  or  eight  cartloads  at  a  time." 

"  Are  they  good  to  eat  ? "  asked  Will. 

"Not  very,"  said  the   man.     "They  have  too  many  bones   for 


82 


ON  THE    WATCH  FOR  BLUE-FISH. 


my  taste.     We  sell  them  to  the    farmers    to    put   on   the    land   to 

make  the  crops  grow." 

"And  couldn't  you  fish  at  all  when  the  inlet  was  closed?" 
"Well,"  said  the  man,  "we  don't  let  a  school  of  blue-fish  go 

by,    if  we   know   it.     And   there   are    a   good    many   mossbunkers 

caught  by  dragging  the    seine    up    on    to    the   beach.     When    the 

blue-fish  begin  to  run,  the  fish 
ing  companies  keep  a  man  on 
the  lookout  most  of  the  time. 
As  soon  as  a  school  is  sighted, 
he  runs  up  a  signal  to  the  top 
of  a  pole,  —  a  bush  or  an  old 
shirt,  or  some  such  thing ;  and 
the  rest  of  the  company  hurry 
down,  launch  their  boat  through 
the  surf,  and  make  for  the  fish. 


Sometimes  they  make  great 
hauls.  I've  seen  as  many  as 
five  hundred  blue-fish  brought 
in  at  one  time.  That  was  a 
good  day  for  the  fishermen." 

"Did  you  ever  go  to  sea?" 
asked  Jack. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man  :   "I  followed  the  sea   more    than    twenty 
years." 

"  Did    you    ever   go    to    far-off    countries,    such    as    India    and 
China  ? " 

"  Only  once,"  said    the   man  :    "  most    of  my  trips  were  to  the 


A   SCHOOL   OF    BLUE-FISH    IN    SIGHT. 


OX   THE    LOOKOUT. 


AN  ANCIENT  MARINER. 


Arctic  Ocean  a-whaling.  Many  and  many  is  the  day  I  have  been 
at  the  mast-head  keeping  a  sharp  lookout.  The  cry  of  '  There 
she  blows ! '  would  wake  a  ship's  crew  up  pretty  quick,  I  can  tell 
you." 

"  Did  you  ever  have  any  adventures  ? "  asked  Jack. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  I  was  wrecked  twice." 

"  Oh !  do  tell  us  about  it,"  said  the  boys. 

"The  first  time,"  said  the  man,  "our  ship  was  nipped  in    the 
ice.      It   was  just   at    dusk, 
and  we " — 

Just  at  that  moment 
there  came  a  faint  halloo 
from  the  distance. 

"Oh,  dear!"  said  Jack. 
"  It's  Mr.  Longwood  calling, 
and  we  must  go." 

"  I  suppose  he  is  afraid 
that  we  shall  not  get  home 
for  dinner,"  said  Tom. 

"  You  had  better  go,  then,"  said  the  man.  "  Dinners  spoil  in 
keeping ;  stories  don't." 

So  the  boys  started  back,  and  they  were  all  soon  hurrying 
homeward. 

In  the  afternoon  they  went  skating  on  the  lake;  but  nothing 
worth  ^chronicling  happened.  Evening  found  them  all  seated 
about  the  fire,  waiting  for  Charlie  Morgan  and  Lou  Grant  to 
entertain  them. 


NIPPED   IN  THE  ICE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


"  WE  are  going  to  take  a 
skip  of  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years,"  said  Ned  Grant, 
"  into  the  time  just  before  the 
Revolution  ;  and  I  am  going 
to  tell  you  how  a  whole  nation 
gave  up  drinking  tea,  and  took 
to  wearing  homespun. 

"  You  must  know,  that, 
when  the  colonies  first  began 
to  settle  in  the  New  World, 
each  had  a  charter  from  the  English  king,  in  which  they  were  prom 
ised  absolutely  and  forever  the  power  to  make  their  own  laws, 
to  assess  their  own  taxes,  and  other  such  rights  as  these.  But 
after  they  grew,  and  the  whole  country  began  to  be  settled,  the 
English  Government  thought  that  it  would  be  a  fine  thing  if 
America  could  pay  a  part  of  the  expenses  of  the  mother-country : 
so  they  passed  a  law  called  the  Stamp  Act.  By  this,  all  business 
was  to  be  done  on  stamped  paper,  every  sheet  of  which  paid  a 
small  tax.  Unless  this  paper  was  used,  any  marriage  was  null ; 
notes  of  hand  were  worthless.  If  a  ship's  papers  were  not  on  it^ 


86 


A  STIRRING    TEXT.  87 


she  might  be  seized  at  sea,  as  a  prize,  by  any  one.  These  were 
some  of  the  penalties  for  not  using  it.  Hardly  a  man  in  England 
imagined  that  the  colonists  would  dare  to  resist. 

"But  they  did.  'What  business  has  the  King  of  England  to 
tax  us  without  our  consent  ? '  they  cried.  '  The  next  thing  will 
be,  that  he  will  claim  our  lands,  and  all  that  we  have.  We  are 
freemen,  and  not  slaves  ;  and  we  will  not  submit ! '  Crowds  gath 
ered  in  the  streets.  The  men  who  had  been  appointed  in  every 
part  of  the  country  to  sell  the  paper  were  waited  upon :  if  they 
refused  to  resign  their  office,  they  were  mobbed.  The  ministers 
preached  on  the  subject,  rousing  the  people  with  their  stirring 
words.  One  chose  as  his  text,  '  I  would  they  were  even  cut  off 
which  trouble  you  ;  for,  brethren,  ye  have  been  called  unto  lib 
erty.'  The  country  was  in  revolt. 

"All  eyes  were  turned  to  New  York;  for  there  were  British 
troops  and  British  men-of-war.  How  would  they  face  the  crisis? 
The  officers  were  confident  that  the  New-Yorkers  would  never 
dare  to  disobey  the  law.  '  If  they  refuse,'  said  one  braggart,  '  I 
will  cram  the  stamps  down  the  throats  of  the  people  with  the 
point  of  my  sword.'  But  he  did  not  know  the  people  that  he 
was  talking  about. 

"  Soon  the  vessels  with  the  stamped  paper  began  to  arrive 
in  the  different  ports.  The  shipping  in  the  harbors  welcomed 
them  by  putting  their  flags  at  half-mast.  What  was  to  be  done 
with  the  paper?  There  was  not  a  person  in  the  whole  land  to 
distribute  it ;  for  not  a  stamp-collector  but  had  been  made  by  the 
people's  rage  to  resign  his  office.  The  governors  of  the  Colonies 
took  possession  of  it  in  the  absence  of  the  proper  persons. 


88  AN  EXCITED  PEOPLE. 


"The  morning  of  the  ist  of  November,  1765,  the  day  on 
which  the  law  was  to  go  in  force,  was  ushered  in  over  the  whole 
country  by  the  tolling  of  church-bells  and  the  booming  of  min 
ute-guns.  Flags  were  everywhere  at  half-mast.  And  no  one 
bought  any  of  the  hated  stamps.  The  newspapers,  boldly  defying 
the  law,  came  out  on  the  same  paper  as  before. 

"In  New  York,  where  the  royal  officers  were  so  certain  of 
success,  the  whole  city  rose  in  wrath.  Placards  were  posted  at 
the  street-corners,  threatening  any  one  who  should  buy  the  stamps. 
At  night  there  was  a  great  uproar.  A  vast  body  of  men  with 
torches,  bearing  with  them  a  scaffold  and  two  images,  paraded  the 
city.  They  broke  into  the  governor's  coach-house,  —  for  he  was 
no  friend  to  the  people,  —  and  took  the  state  carriage.  In  it  they 
placed  the  two  images :  one  was  of  himself ;  the  other,  opposite, 
was  that  of  the  Devil.  They  drew  the  coach  thus  occupied 
through  the  streets  of  the  town,  and  returned  later  in  the  night 
to  Bowling  Green,  where  they  burned  him  in  effigy  before  his  very 
eyes.  Another  party  sacked  the  house  of  the  major  who  had 
talked  about  cramming  the  paper  down  their  throats  with  his 
sword." 

"  Hurrah  for  New  York !  "  cried  Jack  Hastings. 

" '  We  are  not  safe  while  the  paper  is  in  your  possession,'  said 
the  people  to  the  governor.  '  We  demand  that  it  be  given  into 
our  hands.' 

"The  governor  hesitated:  the  people  insisted.  They  were 
determined,  and  he  dared  not  refuse.  It  was  taken  from  the  ships, 
and  delivered  to  the  Common  Council  in  the  City  Hall.  And 
that  was  the  way  the  New-Yorkers  submitted  to  the  Stamp  Act. 


HOMESPUN  BECOMES   THE  FASHION.  9 1 

"  As  it  was  in  New  York,  so  it  was  elsewhere.  No  stamped 
paper  was  sold. 

"  When  the  news  of  all  these  outbreaks  came  to  England,  the 
act  was  repealed ;  but  the  government  would  not  give  up  the 
right  it  claimed  to  tax  the  Colonies.  It  now  said,  '  If  the  people 
don't  want  to  pay  taxes  in  the  way  we  proposed,  we  must  try 
another.'  So  a  duty  was  put  on  nearly  every  thing  that  was 
imported  from  England. 

"  But  it  was  not  the  paying  taxes  that  had  made  the  out 
break  ;  for  the  people  had  always  paid  those  imposed  by  their 
own  legislatures.  It  was  the  claim  of  the  English  Government 
that  they  had  the  right  to  tax  without  the  consent  of  the  colo 
nists,  and  without  their  having  a  voice  in  the  matter. 

"  The  merchants  of  New  York  met  together,  and  proposed  a 
union  of  all  the  people  of  the  country.  '  Until  the  duties  are 
repealed,'  they  said,  '  let  us  not  buy  an  article  from  England. 
Let  us  weave  and  wear  homespun,  give  up  drinking  tea,  and  do 
without  luxuries.'  The  whole  land  took  up  the  plan  with  wild 
enthusiasm.  British  imports  fell  the  first  year  from  twelve 
millions  to  eight  millions  of  dollars.  There  was  the  greatest 
excitement  everywhere.  The  newspapers  were  full  of  exhortations 
to  the  people  to  stand  by  their  rights,  many  of  them  couched  in 
what  was  supposed  to  be  poetry.  Here  is  one  from  '  The  Boston 
News -Letter  : '  — 

'TO   OUR  LADIES. 

Young  ladies  in  town,  and  those  that  live  round, 

Let  a  friend  at  this  season  advise  you  : 
Sine**  money's  so  scarce,  and  times  growing  worse, 

Strange  things  may  soon  hap  and  surprise  you. 


92  TOP-KNOTS  OF  PRIDE. 


First,  then,  throw  aside  your  top-knots  of  pride ; 

Wear  none  but  your  own  country  linen  : 
Of  economy  boast ;   let  your  pride  be  the  most 

To  show  clothes  of  your  own  make  and  spinning. 

What  if  homespun,  they  say,  is  not  quite  so  gay 

As  brocades?  yet  be  not  in  a  passion; 
For,  when  once  it  is  known  this  is  much  worn  in  town, 

One  and  all  will  cry  out,  "  Tis  the  fashion  ! " 

And,  as  one,  all  agree  that  you'll  not  married  be 

To  such  as  will  wear  London  factory; 
But  at  first  sight  refuse ;   tell  'em  such  you  will  choose 

As  encourage  our  own  manufactory. 

No  more  ribbons  wear,  nor  in  rich  silks  appear; 

Love  your  country  much  better  than  fine  things; 
Begin  without  passion ;    'twill  soon  be  the  fashion 

To  grace  your  smooth  locks  with  a  twine  string. 

Throw  aside  your  Bohea,  and  your  Green  Hyson  tea, 

And  all  things  with  a  new-fashion  duty : 
Procure  a  good  store  of  the  choice  Labrador; 

For  there'll  soon  be  enough  here  to  suit  you. 

These  do  without  fear,  and  to  all  you'll  appear 

Fair,  charming,  true,  lovely,  and  clever : 
Though  the  times  remain  darkish,  young  men  may  be  sparkish, 

And  love  you  much  stronger  than  ever.' 

"  Presently  the  London  merchants  began  to  cry  out.  They 
were  being  ruined.  Business  with  "he  Colonies  was  at  a  stand 
still.  Neither  was  any  revenue  coming  in.  The  clamor  grew  so 


NOW,    THEN,   ABANDON  TEA.  93 

loud,  that  the  duties  had  to  be  taken  off.  But  the  Government 
would  not  give  up  entirely.  They  exempted  every  thing  but 
tea.  At  the  same  time,  they  put  the  duty  on  tea  in  American 
ports  much  lower  than  it  was  in  English.  But  a  principle  was 
involved.  '  We  will  never  touch  it,'  said  the  patriots.  Here  is 
one  of  the  rhymes  with  which  they  encouraged  one  another.  It 
was  set  to  a  sacred  air,  and  sung  far  and  wide  :  — 

'  Rouse  every  generous,  thoughtful  mind ; 

The  rising  danger  flee  : 
If  you  would  lasting  freedom  find, 
Now,  then,  abandon  tea. 

Scorn  to  be  bound  with  golden  chains, 

Though  they  allure  the  sight : 
.   Bid  them  defiance,  if  they  claim 
Our  freedom  and  birthright. 

Shall  we  our  freedom  give  away, 

And  all  our  comfort  place 
In  drinking  of  outlandish  tea, 

Only  to  please  our  taste? 

Forbid,  it,  Heaven  !   let  us  be  wise, 

And  seek  our  country's  good ; 
Nor  ever  let  a  thought  arise 

That  tea  should  be  our  food. 

Since  we  so  great  a  plenty  have 

Of  all  that's  for  our  health, 
Shall  we  that  blasted  herb  receive, 

Impoverishing  our  wealth? 


94  A  FAMOUS    TEA-PARTY. 

Adieu,  away,  O  Tea  !   begone  ! 

Salute  our  taste  no  more ; 
Though  thou  art  coveted  by  some 

Who 're  destined  to  be  poor.' 

•'  The  patriots  resolved  not  only  that  they  would  buy  no  tea, 
out  that  none  should  be  landed.  The  ships  that  came  to  New 
York  and  Boston  were  ordered  to  return  at  once  to  England. 
When  the  royal  authorities  refused  to  let  them  go,  and  insisted 
that  the  tea  must  be  landed,  the  people  boarded  the  ships,  and 
threw  it  overboard.  This  old  song  from  '  The  Pennsylvania  Packet ' 
will  tell  you  how  it  happened  in  Boston  :  — 

'  As  near  beauteous  Boston  lying 

On  the  gently  swelling  flood, 

Without  jack  or  pendant  flying, 

Three  ill-fated  tea-ships  rode, 

Just  as  glorious  Sol  was  setting, 

On  the  wharf,  a  numerous  crew, 
Sons  of  Freedom,  fear  forgetting, 

Suddenly  appeared  in  view. 

Armed  with  hammers,  axe,  and  chisels, 

Weapons  new  for  warlike  deed, 
Towards  the  herbage-freighted  vessels 

They  approached  with  dreadful  speed. 

Quick  as  thought  the  ships  were  boarded, 

Hatches  burst,  and  chests  displayed : 
Axes,  hammers,  help  afforded ; 

What  a  glorious  crash  they  made  ! 


A    DRAWING    OF    TOBACCO.  9J 

Squash  into  the  deep  descended 

Cursed  weed  of  China's  coast : 
Thus  at  once  our  fears  are  ended; 

British  rights  shall  ne'er  be  lost. 

Captains  !    once  more  hoist  your  streamers, 

Spread  your  sails,  and  plough  the  wave : 
Tell  your  masters  they  were  dreamers 

When  they  thought  to  cheat  the  brave  ! ' 


"  The  party  who  destroyed  the  cargoes  of  the  Boston  ships 
were  disguised  as  Indians.  They  were  very  careful  that  none  of 
it  should  be  stolen.  One  man,  who  slyly  slipped  some  into  his 
coat-tail  pocket,  found,  when  he  reached  home,  that  his  coat  had 
no  tails.  A  neighbor  had  seen  him,  and  had  cut  them  off. 

"  There  are  some  very  amusing  stories  of  this  tea  business. 
Many  an  old  lady  found  it  very  hard  to  give  up  her  cherished 
beverage,  and  took  it  on  the  sly.  On  one  occasion  an  old 
gentleman  fancied  that  his  wife  had  invited  some  cronies  to  have 
an  unsuspected  cup  with  her.  He  stole  up  stairs  to  the  room 
where  the  forbidden  feast  was  to  be  held.  Sure  enough,  there 
was  the  teapot  before  the  fire.  He  lifted  the  lid  quietly,  and 
dropped  in  a  great  piece  of  tobacco.  Then  he  went  down  stairs, 
chuckling,  to  wait  the  breaking-up  of  the  party,  which  came  very 
speedily. 

"  But,  in  spite  of  such  cases,  the  feeling  was  so  strong,  that 
no  merchant  dared  sell  it,  and  no  revenue  ever  went  to  England 
from  tea." 

"  And  how  did  all  this  end  ? "  asked  Tom. 


96  LIEUT.    DUDDINGTON. 


"  It  ended,  before  many  years  were  passed,  in  the  War  of 
Independence,"  said  Charlie. 

"  I  don't  think  they  lost  much  by  not  having  tea,  anyway," 
said  Jack.  "  It  is  pretty  thin  stuff,  I  think." 

"  Well,  Kate,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  after  Charlie's  story  had 
been  talked  over,  "  what  have  you  to  tell  ? " 

"  During  the  time  that  Charlie  has  been  describing,"  said 
Kate,  "  when  such  heavy  duties  were  laid  on  imports,  a  small 
schooner  was  sent  to  Rhode  Island  by  the  admiral  of  the  English 
fleet  at  Boston  to  prevent  smuggling  on  that  coast.  The  com 
mander,  Lieut.  Duddington,  would  not  show  the  State  officers 
any  legal  warrant  for  his  actions  ;  and,  as  he  was  known  to  be 
no  customs-officer  himself,  they  were  very  indignant,  as  may  be 
imagined.  They  made  a  protest  to  the  admiral  ;  but  all  his 
answer  was,  that,  if  one  of  them  dared  touch  his  lieutenant,  he 
would  have  him  hanged  in  Boston  for  a  pirate.  Duddington  made 
himself  as  obnoxious  as  he  could,  —  stopping  and  examining 
coasters  that  he  must  have  known  were  not  smugglers,  and  being 
generally  as  overbearing  as  could  well  be.  What  follows  is  told 
in  this  ballad  :  — 

'THE    BURNING    OF    THE    "  GASPE." 

Seventeen  hundred  and  seventy-two, 
Summer  was  smiling  the  whole  land  through ; 
New-mown  meadows  scented  the  air : 
But  the  hearts  of  men  were  full  of  care. 
Trouble  was  rife  ;   for  a  tyrant's  hand 
Heavily  lay  on  our  own  fair  land. 


THE   BURNING    OF    THE    GASPE.  97 

Up  and  down  the  Rhode-Island  shore 
Sailed  the  "  Gaspe,"  schooner  of  war. 
Might  makes  right  when  foes  are  few : 
Braggart  was  captain,  and  braggarts  the  crew. 
Colonists  had  no  laws  that  they, 
Officers  of  the  king,  should  obey. 

Sailing  now  here,  and  sailing  there, 

Carrying  trouble  everywhere ; 

At  length,  one  day,  in  a  hurried  chase, 

After  a  schooner  flying  apace, 

Fast  on  the  bar  the  "  Gaspe  "  lay, 

Fast,  till  the  tide  should  come^up  the  bay. 

Midnight  darkness  had  settled  down : 

Out  from  the  wharves  of  the  silent  town 

Boats  moved  swiftly  with  muffled  oar; 

Quickly  behind  them  sunk  the  shore, 

Till  by  the  "  Gaspe's  "  sullen  side 

They  float  on  the  waves  of  the  coming  tide. 

Up  on  the  deck  with  a  sudden  leap, 
Seeming  like  foemen  sprung  from  the  deep  ! 
The  ship  is  theirs  ere  the  crew  half  know, 
Tumbling  on  deck  from  their  hammocks  below. 
Lower  your  boats,  and  make  away : 
Never  again  shall  you  sail  our  bay. 

As  they  pulled  homeward,  a  lurid  flame 
Lights  them  back  o'er  the  way  they  came. 
Up  the  tall  masts  the  fire  runs  free, 
Turning  to  blood  the  unquiet  sea; 
Till,  with  a  crash  like  a  thunder-tone, 
Night  falls  again,  and  the  "  Gaspe"'s  "  gone.' " 


98 


A    USELESS   REWARD, 


"  Your  ballad  is  very  well,  as  far  as  it  goes,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood  ;  "  but  it  does  not  tell  what  follows.  The  English  Govern 
ment  offered  five  thousand  dollars  to  any  person  who  would  give 


information  as  to  who  was  the  leader  of  this  expedition,  and  two 
thousand  five  hundred  each  for  the  names  of  any  in  the  party. 
But  not  a  man  did  they  find  ;  for,  though  hundreds  knew  who 
were  the  offenders,  no  one  was  base  enough  to  betray  them. 


AN   OLD    DOGGEREL.  IOI 


Duddington  was  wounded    in    the   affair.     An   old   doggerel    thus 
speaks  of  these  rewards  :  — 

'  Now,  for  to  find  these  people  out, 
King  George  has  offered,  very  stout, 
One  thousand  pounds,  to  find  out  one 
That  wounded  William  Duddington ; 
One  thousand  more,  he  says,  he'll  spare 
For  those  who  say  the  sheriffs  were ; 
One  thousand  more  there  doth  remain 
For  to  find  out  the  leader's  name ; 
Likewise  five  hundred  pounds  per  man 
For  any  one  of  all  the  clan. 
But,  let  him  try  his  utmost  skill, 
I'm  apt  to  think  he  never  will 
Find  any  of  those  hearts  of  gold, 
Though  he  should  offer  fifty-fold.' " 


CHAPTER  VII. 


"  I  SAY,"  called  out  Tom,  who  had  been 
standing  for  some  time  at  the  window,  "  you 
have  no  idea  what  a  magnificent  night  it  is. 
It  is  as  light  as  day.  The  moon  must  be  full, 
or  nearly  so ;  and  the  snow  fairly  sparkles. 
Hillo !  "  he  went  on,  "  here  comes  a  man. 
I  wonder  what  he  is  after.  Oh !  I  know : 
it  is  one  of  the  crew  from  the  life-saving  sta 
tion.  I  am  going  to  speak  to  him."  And  he 
ran  out,  followed  by  the  other  boys. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Tom  after  the  man  had 
stopped,  and  they  had  chatted  for  a  moment 
or  two,  "  that  your  crew  will  have  an  easy 
time  to-night.  No  ship  could  very  well  go  ashore  in  such  a  quiet 
sea  as  there  is  now,  and  in  such  a  clear  light." 

"  Ay,"  said  the  man ;  "  but  it  is  not  going  to  last.  We 
expect  a  storm  before  morning.  The  barometer  is  falling  fast, 
and  the  wind  is  shifting.  We  shall  have  snow  before  many 
hours,  or  I  am  mistaken." 

"  Then  good-by  to  skating,"  said  Ned  Grant. 

Mr.  Longwood  had  by  this  time  come  out  on  the  piazza,  and 


AN  END    TO    THE    SKATING.  103 

had  heard  the  news.  "  If  the  skating  is  to  be  spoiled,"  he  said, 
"  we  had  better  make  the  most  of  it  at  once.  Boys,  get  ready 
yourselves,  and  tell  the  girls  ;  and  we  will  have  an  hour  or  so 
of  it  before  it  goes." 

With  a  wild  whoop  and  halloo  the  boys  carried  the  tidings 
into  the  parlor,  and  soon  they  were  all  on  the  ice.  The  fire 
was  kindled  where  it  had  been  a  few  days  before,  and  they 
dashed  up  and  down  and  about  it  in  great  glee. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  when  they  went  back  to  the  house,  they 
saw  that  the  man's  prediction  of  a  storm  was  coming  true.  The 
wind  had  grown  damp  and  chilly  ;  and  a  thin  mist  was  gathering 
over  the  sky,  through  which  the  moon  shone  with  a  sickly  light. 

"  It's  fortunate  that  we  learned  of  the  storm  in  time,"  said 
Tom ;  "  but  I  am  pretty  tired,  for  one." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Gertrude.  "  I  don't  believe  even  an  Indian 
could  wake  me  to-night." 

"  I  think  we  shall  be  pretty  safe  in  telling  Mary  Ann  not  to 
put  on  breakfast  till  nine  o'clock,"  said  .Mr.  Longwood.  "Then 
we  shall  have  time  to  get  thoroughly  rested." 

At  half-past  eight  the  next  morning,  when  Master  Jack 
awoke,  and  raised  himself  on  his  elbow  to  look  out  of  the  win 
dow,  he  found  that  the  snow  had  indeed  come.  The  air  was  full 
of  it.  No  one  of  the  other  boys  had  as  yet  waked  up.  Ned 
Grant  in  one  bed,  and  Will  Morgan  in  the  other,  were  sleeping 
as  quietly  as  if  it  were  midnight.  The  door  into  the  room 
where  Tom  and  Charlie  slept  was  closed ;  but  there  was  not  a 
sound  to  be  heard.  Jack  stealthily  raised  himself  to  his  feet, 
and,  taking  a  firm  hold  of  his  pillows,  hurled  them  at  the  sleep- 


104  A     WELL-AIMED    PILLOW. 

ing  figures.  Each  went  straight  to  the  mark,  and  the  two  boys 
were  brought  up  standing.  Holding  up  his  finger  to  caution 
them  to  silence,  Jack  seized  the  small  toilet-pitcher,  and,  softly 
opening  the  door,  stole  into  the  next  room.  The  others  fol 
lowed  to  see  the  fun.  Advancing  to  Tom's  bedside,  Jack  raised 
the  pitcher,  and  a  gentle  stream  of  cold  water  was  on  its  way 
from  it  to  Tom's  face,  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  pillow  came  fly 
ing  from  the  bed  in  which  Charlie  Morgan  was  supposed  to  be 
fast  asleep.  It  missed  Jack's  head,  at  which  it  was  directed,  but 
hit  his  extended  elbow  with  such  dire  effect,  that  the  entire  con 
tents  of  the  pitcher  were  emptied  on  him,  soaking  him  from  head 
to  foot.  Finding  the  laugh  thus  turned  on  himself,  that  young 
man  retired  with  haste  to  dry  and  dress  himself. 

"  I  do  believe,"  said  Carrie  as  they  were  about  to  sit  down 
to  breakfast,  "  that  the  storm  is  over.  See !  it  has  stopped 
snowing." 

They  all  crowded  to  the  window  to  look  out.  What  a 
change  a  few  hours  had  made  !  The  lake  had  disappeared,  and 
to  all  appearance  they  were  in  the  midst  of  snow-covered  fields. 
Some  distance  .away  they  could  see  two  men  and  a  dog  making 
their  way  toward  the  village.  But,  even  as  they  stood  by  the 
window,  the  flakes  began  to  fall  again,  and  soon  came  down 
faster  than  ever,  shutting  out  the  whole  landscape. 

"  Suppose,"  said  Jack,  "  that  it  keeps  on  snowing  till  the 
house  is  nearly  buried.  Then  we  couldn't  get  out  and  go  to 
New  York.  What  larks  that  would  be  !  " 

"  No  storms  have  ever  come  severe  enough  to  bury  a  house, 
have  there,  Mr.  Longwood  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 


A    QUAINT   OLD    LETTER. 


105 


"  Not  in  this  part  of  the  country.  But  the  New-England 
storms  are  pretty  severe  at  times.  I  remember  reading  an 
account  of  one  that  came  many  years  ago.  Perhaps  I  can  find 


ON   THEIR  WAY  TO  THE  VILLAGE. 

the  book.  Yes,  here  it  is,"  he  said,  coming  back  a  moment 
later  from  the  library.  "It  is  a  letter  from  a  clergyman  in  Bos 
ton  to  a  friend  in  England.  I  will  read  part  of  it." 

BOSTON,  loth  Dec.  1717. 

SR., —  Tho  ws  are  gott  so  far  onward  as  the  beginning  of  another  Winter,  yett 
we  have  not  forgott  ye  last,  which  at  the  latter  end  whereof  we  were  entertained 
&  overwhelmed  wilh  a  Snow,  which  was  attended  with  some  Things,  which  were 
uncommon  enough  to  afford  matter  for  a  letter  from  us. 

On  the  twentieth  of  last  February  there  came  a  Snow,  which  being  added  unto 
what  had  covered  the  ground  a  few  days  before,  made  a  thicker  mantle  for  our 


106  A    QUAINT  OLD    LETTER. 

Mother  than  what  was  usual :  And  ye  storm  with  it  was,  for  the  following  day,  so 
violent  as  to  make  all  communication  between  ye  Neighbors  everywhere  to  cease. 
People  for  some  hours  could  not  pass  from  one  side  of  a  street  unto  another. 
But  on  ye  Twenty-fourth  day  of  ye  Month,  comes  Pelion  upon  Ossa :  Another 
Snow  came  on  which  almost  buried  ye  Memory  of  ye  former,  with  a  Storm  so 
famous  that  Heaven  laid  an  Interdict  on  ye  Religious  Assemblies  throughout  ye 
Country,  on  this  Lord's  day,  ye  like  whereunto  had  never  been  seen  before.  The 
Indians  near  an  hundred  years  old,  affirm  that  their  Fathers  never  told  them  of 
any  thing  that  equalled  it.  Vast  numbers  of  Cattel  were  destroyed  in  this  Calamity. 
Whereof  some  there  were,  of  ye  Stranger  sort,  were  found  standing  dead  on  their 
legs  as  if  they  had  been  alive,  many  weeks  after  when  ye  Snow  melted  away. 
And  others  had  their  eyes  glazed  over  with  Ice  at  such  a  rate,  that  being  not  far 
from  ye  Sea,  their  mistake  of  their  way  drowned  them  there.  One  gentleman  on 
whose  farms  were  now  lost  above  uoo  sheep,  writes  me  word  that  there  were  two 
Sheep  very  singularly  circumstanced.  For  no  less  than  eight  &  twenty  days  after 
the  Storm  the  People  pulling  out  the  Ruins  of  above  an  100  sheep  out  of  a  Snow 
Bank,  which  lay  sixteen  foot  high  drifted  over  them,  there  was  two  found  alive 
which  had  been  there  all  this  time,  and  kept  themselves  alive  by  eating  the  wool 
of  their  dead  companions.  When  they  were  taken  out  they  shed  their  own 
Fleeces,  but  soon  gott  into  good  Case  again. 

Sheep  were  not  ye  only  creatures  that  lived  unaccountably  for  whole  weeks 
without  their  usual  sustenance.  A  man  had  a  couple  of  young  Hoggs  which  he 
gave  over  for  dead.  But  on  the  twenty-seventh  day  after  their  Burial  they  made 
their  way  out  of  a  Snow  Bank  at  the  bottom  of  which  they  had  found  a  little 
Tansy  to  feed  upon.  Hens  were  found  alive  after  seven  days.  Turkeys  were 
found  alive  after  five  and  twenty,  buried  in  ye  Snow,  and  at  a  distance  from  ye 
ground,  and  altogether  destitute  of  any  thing  to  feed  them. 

The  Wild  Creatures  of  ye  Woods,  ye  outgoings  of  ye  Evening,  made  their 
Descent  as  well  as  they  could  in  this  time  of  scarcity  for  them  toward  ye  Sea-side. 
A  vast  multitude  of  Deer,  for  ye  same  cause  taking  ye  same  course,  &  ye  Deep 
Snow  Spoiling  them  of  their  only  defence  which  is  to  run,  they  became  such  a 
prey  to  these  Devourers,  that  it  is  thought  not  one  in  twenty  escaped. 

It   is   incredible   how   much    damage    is    done   ye   Orchards        For   the   Sno\f 


JACK   STAYS   IN-DOORS.  IO/ 

freezing  to  a  Crust,  as  high  as  the  boughs  of  ye  trees,  anon  Split  ym  to  pieces. 
The  Cattel  also  walking  on  ye  crusted  Snow  a  dozen  foot  from  ye  ground  so  fed 
upon  ye  trees  as  very  much  to  damnify  them.  The  odd  Accidents  befalling  many 
poor  people  whose  cottages  were  totally  covered  with  ye  Snow  &  not  ye  very  tops 
of  their  chimneys  to  be  seen  would  afford  a  story.  But  I  forbear  them  subscrib 
ing  myself 

Syr,  Yours  with  an  affection 

that  knows  no  Winter 

COTTON  MATHER. 


"There,  Jack,  you  see  what  would  happen  to  you,"  said  Ned 
Grant,  "  if  you  had  your  wish  to  have  the  house  buried  in  snow. 
You  would  have  to  live  by  eating  our  clothes,  like  the  sheep." 

After  breakfast,  Tom  proposed  that  the  boys  should  put  on 
their  top-boots,  and  run  over  to  the  life-saving  station.  Mrs. 
Longwood,  however,  thought  it  better  that  Jack  should  stay  at 
home,  as  he  caught  cold  so  easily. 

"  We  won't  any  of  us  go,"  said  Will  Morgan.  "  It  would  be 
too  bad  to  leave  Jack." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  said  Jack.  "  Go  ahead.  I'll  get  on  somehow. 
Only  don't  be  gone  all  the  morning." 

So  the  boys  started,  Jack  watching  them  till  they  were  lost 
in  the  snow.  Then  he  strolled  about  the  room,  and  finally  set 
out  for  the  kitchen  to  see  if  there  were  any  thing  there  to 
amuse  him.  Mr.  Longwood,  meanwhile,  was  deep  in  a  book  ; 
Mrs.  Longwood  was  writing  a  letter ;  and  the  girls  had  gathered 
around  the  fire,  and  were  sitting  idly. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Carrie,  "  I  am  not  sorry  that  we  have 
to  be  quiet  to-day.  We  have  been  going  so  hard,  that  I  feel 
like  sitting  still." 


io8 


A    STARTLING    EVENT. 


"So  do  I,"  said  the  rest. 

Crash !  clang !  clatter  !  thump !  thump  !  bump  !  came  from 
the  hall.  Such  a  noise  it  was,  that  all  sat  still  and  stared  at  one 
another  for  a  minute.  Then  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood  sprang 
up,  and  ran  out.  Jack  was  found  sitting  in  a  sort  of  dazed  way 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  while  a  great  metal  tea-tray  lay  on  the 
polished  floor  some  distance  from  him. 


"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Longwood. 

"  I  had  a  fall,"  said  Jack. 

"  There  seems  to  be  no  harm  done ;  at  all  events,  no  bones 
are  broken,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  who  had  been  feeling  and  pull 
ing  Jack  all  over.  "  Here,  I  will  carry  him  to  the  sofa ;  and  then 
he  can  tell  us  all  about  it." 


JACK   EXPERIMENTS   IN   COASTING.  109 

"  Oh  !  I  can  walk  well  enough,"  said  Jack ;  and  he  scrambled 
up  to  his  feet. 

"  How  did  it  happen  ?  "  asked  the  girls. 

"  Well,"  said  Jack,  "  you  see,  it  was  kind  of  lonesome  with 
only  girls  about  :  so  I  thought  I  had  better  be  occupied  in 
some  way.  I  had  heard  one  of  the  fellows  in  school  say  that 
his  mother  told  him,  that,  when  she  was  a  girl,  she  used  to  coast 
down  the  stairs  on  a  tea-tray.  There  was  a  great  big  tray  out 
in  the  kitchen  ;  and  I  borrowed  it  of  Mary  Ann,  and  got  on  it 
at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  and  started.  It  was  jolly  at  first  :  but 
something  must  have  happened ;  for  the  tray  came  out  between 
the  banister-rails  about  half-way  down,  and  I  came  the  rest  of 
the  way  without  it." 

"It  is  a  mercy  you  did  not  break  your  neck,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood.  But  Mr.  Longwood  lay  back  in  his  chair,  and 
shouted  with  laughter. 

"  Here,  Jack,"  said  he,  when  he  had  recovered  his  breath, 
"  put  on  your  coat  and  boots,  and  I'll  take  you  over  to  the 
boys  on  my  back.  I  don't  believe  that  you  will  run  half  the 
risk  that  you  do  at  home." 

When  they  reached  the  life-saving  station,  they  found  Tom 
and  the  rest  sitting  about  the  fire,  trying  to  coax  one  of  the  two 
men  who  were  there  to  tell  them  some  adventure  that  he  had 
had  a  hand  in.  Mr.  Longwood  deposited  Jack,  and,  asking  the 
boys  to  take  good  care  of  him,  went  back  to  the  house  to  his 
book. 

As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed  behind  him,  the  boys  began 
to  urge  the  man  again. 


110  A    JURY  IS   IMPANELLED. 

"  But  I  have  never  had  any  adventure,"  said  he. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  have  !  "    said  Ned  Grant. 

"  But  I  haven't,"  said  the  man. 

"  You  don't  go  about  this  in  the  right  way,"  said  Jack. 
"  You  fellows  be  jury,  and  I'll  be  judge,  and  he  shall  be  the 
prisoner.  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  he  went  on  in  a  solemn 
tone,  cocking  himself  cross-legged  on  the  top  of  a  table,  "  look 
upon  the  prisoner.  —  Prisoner,  look  upon  the  jury.  What  is 
your  name  ?  " 

"  George  Washington,"  said  the  man  with  a  grin. 

"  George  Washington,"  said  Jack,  holding  out  a  mess-fork, 
<(  take  this  in  your  right  hand.  Do  you  well  and  truly  promise 
to  answer  all  the  questions  that  may  be  asked  you,  according  to 
the  best  of  your  knowledge  and  ability  ?  " 

The  man  nodded,  and  grinned  again. 

"  Where  were  you  born  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  In  the  State  of  Maine." 

"  It  strikes  me,"  said  Ned  Grant,  "  that  it  is  a  new  kind  of 
court  where  the  judge  asks  all  the  questions." 

"  Counsellor  Grant,"  said  Jack  severely,  "  the  Court  awards 
you  worthy  of  contempt.  You  are  hereby  fined  twenty-five 
cents  ;  the  amount  to  be  expended  in  gum-drops  for  the  benefit 
of  those  present." 

"Oh!  I  am  a  counsellor,  am  I?"  laughed  Ned.  "A  moment 
ago  I  was  one  of  the  jury." 

"  Silence  in  the  court !  "  said  the  judge.  "  When  did  you 
leave  the  State  of  Maine  ?  " 

"  When  I  was  twenty-five  years  old,"  said  the  man. 


THE   FIRST   STROKE. 


A     WILLING    WITNESS.  113 

"  What  did  you  do  in  those  twenty-five  years  ?  " 
"  The    first   few   I    hollered  a   good   deal,   I    expect,"   said   the 
man. 

"  What  then  ?  " 
"  Then  I  went  to  school." 
"  What  did  you  do  after  that  ?  " 
"  Oh !   nothing  particular  till  I  was  twenty-one." 
"  When  you  were  twenty-one,  prisoner,  what  did  you  do  ?  " 
"  I  went  off  for  the  winter,  lumbering  in  the  backwoods." 
"  Ah  !  "    said  Jack,   turning  to   the  jury,   "  we    are   getting   to 
facts.      Believe  me,  gentlemen,  that,  before  we  get  through  with 
this    witness,    we    shall    lay    bare    the    whole    truth     about    this 
abominable  business." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Ned,  "  he's  a  witness,  is  he  ?  I  thought  he 
was  a  prisoner." 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Jack.  "  Prisoner,  you  will  now  detail  to  us, 
without  varying  the  slightest  from  the  truth,  the  circumstances 
of  that  winter  which  you  spent  lumbering.  —  Gentlemen  of  the 
jury,  should  there  be  any  point  on  which  you  desire  light,  you 
are  at  liberty  to  ask  questions." 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  I  hired  out  to  go  lumbering,  as  I 
said.  There  was  a  large  gang  of  us.  We  reached  the  ground 
long  before  the  snows  began  to  fall,  and  set  to  work.  The 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  choose  the  place  for  the  camp,  and 
build  the  shanties  for  the  men  to  live  in.  Of  course  they  must 
be  near  a  brook  or  spring." 

"  What  kind  of  shanties  are  they,  George  Washington  ? " 
asked  Charlie. 


114 


A    LUMBERMAN'S   STORY. 


Log 
And 
No  : 


huts,"  said  the  man,  "  such  as  you  see  in  pictures." 
do  you  lie  on  the  floor  ?  " 

we  make  bunks  around   the  walls.       They  are   pretty 

hard  beds  ;  but,  when 
a  man  has  swung  an 
axe  all  day  long,  he 
goes  to  sleep  at  night 
without  thinking 
whether  his  bed  is 
hard  or  soft.  After 
the  houses  are  all 
ready,  we  begin  work. 
Of  course,  no  hauling 
can  be  done  till  the 
snow  comes  ;  but  we 
commence  felling  at 
once,  and  sawing  the 
logs  into  lengths,  and 
skidding  them  up,  as 
we  call  it,  into  great 
piles,  so  that  they  can 
be  loaded  on  to  sleds 
easily. 

"  Before  long  the 
snow  comes.  It  is 
not  so  much  fun  then 
to  stand  up  to  one's  knees  in  a  bank,  and  drag  a  saw  back  and 
forth  through  some  prostrate  tree  :  but  it  has  to  be  done  ;  and, 
after  a  little,  one  gets  used  to  it  all." 


SAWING   IN   THE   SNOW. 


THE  JUDGE  DECIDES  A    QUESTION  OF  PRECEDENCE.         115 

"  What  do  you  do  in  the  evenings  ? "  asked  Tom. 

"  What  do  you  have  to  eat  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  Which  question  am  I  to  answer  first,  judge  ? "  said  the 
man,  turning  to  Jack. 

"  Neither,  George  Washington,"  said  Jack  with  dignity. 
•"  Tell  us  first  all  about  hauling  the  logs.'" 


LOADING  THE   LOGS. 


"  Well,  the  sleds,  with  horses  or  oxen,  take  off  the  skidded 
logs  first.  When  they  have  drawn  those,  they  come  to  where 
the  men  are  cutting,  and  take  them  right  off  the  ground  as 
they  lie." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  need   ever  so  many  men   to   handle 


Il6  HOW  LOGS   ARE    LOADED. 

such  huge  fellows,"  said  Ned.  "  I  have  seen  them  at  saw-mills 
more  than  four  feet  through." 

"  They  use  the  teams  to  help  load,"  said  George  Washington. 
"  First  the  sled  is  brought  near  a  log.  Then  two  long  skids 
are  laid,  with  one  end  of  each  on  the  sled,  so  that  the  timber 
can  be  rolled  up  on  them.  A  long  chain  is  passed  under  it. 
One  end  is  made  fast  to  the  sled,  and  a  team  is  hitched  to  the 
other  ;  and,  when  the  team  starts,  the  log  rolls  right  up  into  its 
place.  This  is  the  way :  do  you  see  ?  "  And  the  man,  with 
some  sticks  and  a  piece  of  string,  showed  them  just  how  it  was 
done. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Jack,  "  what  do  they  do  with  them  when 
they  are  loaded  ?  " 

"  The  camps  are  always  as  near  some  stream  as  they  can  be 
placed,"  said  the  man.  "  If  you  have  ever  been  in  Maine,  you 
will  know  that  it  is  a  pretty  mountainous  country.  The  streams 
run  in  the  gorges  between  the  hills.  In  the  autumn  they  are 
often  only  little  brooks  that  one  can  jump  over  ;  but  when  in 
April  the  warm  rain  comes,  or  some  hot  days,  the  snow  that 
lies  six  or  eight  feet  deep  on  a  level  melts  all  at  once,  and 
pours  down  the  mountain-sides.  The  little  brooks  become 
raging  torrents  twenty  feet  deep,  and  carry  every  thing  away 
before  them.  The  lumberman  has  made  ready  beforehand,  know 
ing  just  about  when  the  freshet  is  due.  The  sleds  carry  their 
loads  to  the  edges  of  these  deep  gorges  all  winter  long.  There 
is  a  moment's  pause  while  the  measurements  are  taken  and 
entered  in  a  book.  Then  the  driver  takes  his  bill-hook  in  his 
hand,  and  gives  a  strong  wrench.  The  log  tumbles  clumsily  off 


GOOD    PLAIN   COOKING.  II? 

the  sled,  slips  slowly  forward,  and  then,  with  a  rush  like  thunder, 
tears  down  the  hillside  like  an  avalanche  to  join  his  fellows 
below.  When  that  part  of  the  gorge  is  full  we  move  on,  and 
fill  it  up  farther  down  stream." 

"  Now,  then,  what  do  you  do  in  the  evenings  ?  "  said  Tom. 

"  Well,  mostly  nothing  ;  for  there  is  nothing  to  be  done. 
Some  of  the  men  play  cards ;  and  others  sit  around  the  fire,  and 
smoke,  and  tell  yarns.  But  they  soon  get  talked  out.  If  there 
is  an  old  newspaper,  or  any  thing  of  that  sort,  it  gets  read 
to  pieces.  Why,  I  went  through  a  whole  volume  of  Patent- 
Office  reports,  including  the  '  whereases '  and  '  now  therefores/ 
that  winter.  But  work  in  the  open  air  makes  one  glad  to  sit 
still  ;  and  by  eight  o'clock  we  had  all  had  our  pipe,  turned  in, 
and  were  fast  asleep." 

"  What  did  you  have  to  eat  ?  " 

"  Pork  and  flapjacks,  tea  and  coffee,  about  made  up  the  bill 
of  fare." 

"  Did  you  cook  in  turn  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  No  :  our  gang  was  so  large,  that  we  had  a  regular  cook. 
He  used  to  get  some  plain  talking  to,  I  can  tell  you,  if  the 
coffee  wasn't  right.  But  he  was  a  pretty  good  hand  at  his 
trade  ;  for  one  of  the  men  fell  ill,  and  he  made  no  end  of  tasty 
messes  for  him. 

"  When  it  gets  along  toward  spring,  the  men  begin  to 
wonder  what  kind  of  a  run  of  logs  there  will  be.  If  the  snows 
have  been  light,  or  if  the  thaw  comes  too  gradually,  and  the 
autumn  before  has  been  dry,  so  that  the  ground  takes  up 
much  of  the  moisture,  there  will  be  hardly  any  rise  in  the 


A   FRESHET  AT  HAND. 


stream,  and  the  logs  will  have  to  lie  over  till  another  season. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  freshet  is  too  great,  all  the  level  land 
on  each  side  of  the  stream  is  overflowed ;  and,  when  the  water 
begins  to  go  down,  the  logs  are  often  stranded  so  far  from  the 
current,  that  it  costs  more  to  get  them  than  they  are  worth. 


"  With  the  freshet  comes  the  hardest  work  of  all.  Axes 
and  saws  are  no  longer  of  any  use.  Each  man  takes  his  bill 
hook  in  hand,  and  follows  down  the  course  of  the  stream.  It 
is  a  wild  sight.  The  raging  torrent  is  black  with  logs,  which  it 
swirls  and  tears  about  as  if  they  were  straws.  Here  some  great 
fellow  caught  by  an  eddy  rears  straight  up  on  end.  In  one- 
wild  rushing  mass  they  tear  along. 

"  All  at  once  the  experienced  logman's  eye  sees  that  there  is 
trouble  ahead.  Before  him  he  hears,  at  some  bend  or  narrow 
part  of  the  river,  a  crushing  of  timber,  He  sees,  as  he  hurries. 


AWAY   SHE   GOES! 


A    JAM  HAS  FORMED. 


121 


forward,  the  logs  piling  themselves  up  in  mad  confusion  high 
above  the  water's  surface.  The  stream  beside  him  begins  to 
rise  rapidly.  It  is  a  jam.  Two  of  the  foremost  timbers,  in 
passing,  have  got  wedged  together  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  V. 
The  point  is  up  stream,  and  each  end  is  braced  against  the 
bank.  The  whole  run  is  stopped.  Prompt  action  is  neces- 


BREAKING  A  LOG-JAM. 


sary.  The  logman  rushes  out  on  the  piled-up  mass.  His 
shoes  are  armed  with  sharp  iron  spikes  to  prevent  his  slipping. 
He  sees  in  a  moment  which  log  it  is  that  is  the  key  to  the 
position.  He  takes  firm  hold  of  his  bill-hook,  and  wrenches  at 
the  offender  until  the  wedged  end  slips  out.  At  the  top  of  his 
speed  he  makes  for  the  shore,  reaching  it  just  as  the  now 


122  THE  JURY  RENDER  A    VERDICT. 

loosened  mass,  urged  on  by  the  water  backed  up  behind,  once 
more  plunges  wildly  forward  down  stream. 

"  By  and  by,  when  the  streams  have  all  run  into  some  great 
river  on  their  way  to  the  sea,  the  logs  are  mingled  together 
with  those  that  have  come  down  from  some  other  mountain 
tributary  and  belong  to  other  owners.  In  order  to  sort  them 
out,  a  boom  is  stretched  across  at  some  convenient  spot,  where 
they  are  all  halted.  Here  those  bearing  the  same  mark  are 
made  up  into  great  rafts,  and,  taking  their  crews  on  board,  pass 
onward  like  some  clumsy  vessel.  Slowly  carried  along  by  the 
current,  and  kept  in  mid-course  by  long  poles  wielded  by  the 
mariners,  they  come  at  last  to  their  destination,  and  are  made 
fast  at  the  side  of  some'  mill.  When  I  reached  that  point  in 
my  experience  I  was  paid  off,  and  went  home." 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  said  Jack,  "  you  have  heard  the 
evidence,  and  the  prisoner's  statement  in  his  own  behalf.  What 
say  you  ?  Is  he  guilty,  or  not  guilty  ?  " 

"  I  hope  your  honor  will  remember  my  youth  at  the  time  the 
offence  was  committed,"  said  the  man.  "  If  you'll  let  me  off, 
I'll  never  go  lumbering  again." 

"  All  right,  then,"  said  Jack  :    "  we'll  let  you  off  this  time." 

"  I  -suppose,"  said  Ned,  "  that  there  has  been  a  great 
difference  in  saw-mills  since  you  wer>t  lumbering.  I  saw  one 
out  West  a  year  ago.  There  were  no  end  of  saws,  through  all 
of  which  a  log  passed  at  one  time.  When  the  hind  end  was 
going  into  the  mill  as  a  log,  the  front  end  was  coming  out  a 
dozen  good  boards." 

"  No,"  said  the  man.      "  We  had  nothing  like  that." 


THE   RAFT   IN    RAPID? 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON  ENTERTAINS  HIS   VISITORS.  125 

The  boys  looked  about  the  life-saving  station  for  some  time, 
examining  the  appliances  for  saving  wrecked  mariners.  The 
man  showed  them  the  mortar,  from  which  a  bomb,  with  rope 
attached,  was  thrown  over  a  ship  in  distress.  They  climbed 
into  the  life-boat,  and  into  the  life-car,  in  which  they  imagined 
themselves  being  drawn  through  the  surf.  Then  they  went  up 
stairs  and  looked  at  the  men's  quarters.  They  proposed  to  go 
to  the  lookout  on  the  roof ;  but  George  Washington,  as  they 
still  called  him,  said  that  they  could  see  nothing  on  account  of 
the  snow,  and  the  wind  was  so  high  that  he  feared  they  might 
be  blown  away.  The  storm  was  a  wild  one.  The  surf,  only 
three  hundred  feet  distant,  was  tearing  and  dashing  up  over  the 
sand-hills  as  if  it  longed  to  get  at  them,  and  sweep  them  away. 

"  Well,"  said  Tom  after  a  while,  "  it  must  be  getting  near 
dinner-time.  We  had  better  go  back  to  the  house.  I  wonder 
what  we  can  do  this  afternoon.  I  wish  there  were  some  way  of 
getting  to  the  village." 

"  There  is  a  man  coming  down  from  there  about  three 
o'clock  with  a  load  of  wood  for  us.  If  you  don't  mind 
standing  up,  he  will  take  you.  I'll  send  him  over  to  the 
house." 

"  But  how  shall  we  get  back  ?  " 

"  Oh!  I  reckon  he'll  bring  you,"  said  the  man.  "Anyway, 
if  you  give  him  fifty  cents,  he'll  drive  you  about  all  the  after 
noon." 

"  All  right,  then,"  said  Tom.      "  Send  him  up,  please." 

After  dinner,  as  the  sled  did  not  appear,  and  the  snow  held 
up  a  little,  the  boys  decided  to  build  a  great  snow  man.  The 


126 


NIGHT  COMES  AGAIN. 


girls  put  on  their  wraps,  and  came  out  ;    but  hardly  was  the  first 
ball   rolled   up,  when    the   belated  vehicle    arrived.       Off  set   the 

five  youngsters  :  and  what 
ever  they  found  to  interest 
them  I  do  not  know ;  but 
they  did  not  get  home  till 
just  before  tea. 

When  that  meal  was  well 
over,  they  gathered  in  the 
parlor,  as  usual.  Then  Ned 
Grant  produced  a  great  pack 
age  of  gum-drops,  as  he  had 
been  ordered  to  do  when 
found  guilty  of  contempt  of 
court  ;  and  they  all  sat 
munching,  and  saying  not 
a  word.  At  last  Tom  turned 
to  Charlie  Morgan,  and  said 
briefly,  — 

"  Strike  up  music." 
"  How  can  I  tell  a  story  ?" 
said  Charlie.      "  You  will  eat 
up  all  those  gum-drops  be 
fore  I  get  half  through,  and 
I  won't  have  any." 
At   this    there   was    a    general    laugh ;    and    a    handful    being 
delivered  over  to  him,  and  safely  put  into  his  pocket  out  of  the 
reach    of  Jack's    mischievous    fingers,    all    settled    themselves    to 
listen. 


THE   BEGINNING  OF  THE  SNOW  MAN. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


"SOMEWHERE  about 
the  year  1580,"  began 
Charlie  Morgan,  "  there 
was  born  at  Willoughby, 
in  Lancashire,  England,  a 
boy  named  John  Smith." 

"  Smith,  Smith,"  inter 
rupted  Jack  Hastings 
meditatively.  "  The  name 
sounds  familiar.  Where 
can  I  have  heard  it  ? " 

"  When  he  was  thir 
teen  years  old,"  went  on 
Charlie,  without  paying 
any  attention  to  Jack's  remark,  "  his  father  and  mother  died,  and 
he  came  under  the  care  of  guardians.  It  had  long  been  his 
great  desire  to  go  to  sea  ;  and  so  he  hailed  with  joy  an 
apprenticeship  to  a  great  merchant  of  London,  upon  one  of 
whose  vessels  he  hoped  soon  to  set  sail.  But,  his  longing  not 
being  gratified,  he  took  French  leave  of  his  master,  who,  for 
eight  years,  did  not  set  eyes  upon  him  again.  He  made  his  way 


127 


128  A   NEW  INFERNAL  MACHINE. 

across  to  France,  and  for  a  long  time  knocked  about,  seeing 
strange  lands,  —  the  Low  Countries,  Italy,  and  Egypt,  —  and  all 
the  time  gaining  knowledge,  and  growing  in  strength  and  all 
manly  acquirements. 

"  At  length,  in  Hungary,  where  the  Turks  and  Christians  were 
always  at  deadly  feud,  he  rendered  such  distinguished  service 
that  he  was  made  captain  of  a  troop  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
horse,  and  was  thenceforth  known  as  Capt.  John  Smith. 

"  With  the  Turks  he  fought  furiously,  and  his  name  soon 
became  a  well-known  word  in  their  camp.  The  city  of  Alba  Re- 
galis  the  Pagans  had  conquered  from  thfe  Christians,  and  for  sixty 
years  had  held  against  many  an  assault.  They  believed  it  to  be 
impregnable.  Once  again  a  Christian  army  surrounded  it.  A 
night  attack  was  determined  on.  Capt.  Smith  invented  a  sort  of 
infernal  machine.  First  he  took  a  number  of  round-bellied  pots, 
and  filled  them  with  gunpowder.  Over  all  he  spread  a  layer  of 
pitch,  and  this  he  stuck  full  of  bullets  ;  then  more  pitch  ;  and 
over  this  cloth  soaked  in  oil  was  tightly  bound.  These  grenades 
were  lighted,  and  hurled  from  slings.  '  At  midnight  it  was  a 
fearful  sight  to  see  the  short  flaming  course  of  their  flight  in 
the  aire ;  but,  presently  after  their  fall,  the  lamentable  noise  of 
the  miserable  slaughtered  Turks  was  most  wonderful  to  heare.' 
The  enemy  was  thrown  into  great  confusion  ;  the  city  was  set  on 
fire ;  and,  a  terrific  onslaught  being  made  by  the  besiegers,  the 
banner  of  the  crescent  gave  place  to  that  of  the  cross  upon  its 
walls. 

"  Not  long  after,  the  Christians  laid  siege  to  another  town  ; 
and  here,  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  the  camp,  a  Turk  sent  a  chal- 


THREE   TURKS'  HEADS.  129 

lenge  into  their  lines,  directed  to  any  captain  of  a  company  who 
durst  combat  with  him  for  his  head.  Smith  was  chosen  to  meet 
him.  A  truce  was  declared,  and  the  lists  were  formed.  On  all 
sides  were  fair  ladies  and  knights.  Each  combatant,  with  lance 
in  rest,  awaited  the  word  for  the  onset.  They  met  in  mid-course  ; 
and  Smith's  spear  was  so  well  aimed  that  it  pierced  his  enemy's 
helmet,  and  hurled  him  lifeless  to  the  ground. 

"  The  death  of  the  Turk  so  enraged  a  friend  named  Grualgo, 
that  he  sent  a  personal  challenge  to  our  hero.  Again  the  lists 
were  opened,  and  the  trumpets  sounded  the  charge.  The  knights 
met :  their  lances  were  shivered.  In  the  hand-to-hand  contest 
that  followed,  Smith  again  came  off  victorious,  and  the  Turk  bit 
the  dust. 

"  It  was  very  important  that  the  attention  of  the  enemy  should 
be  drawn  away  from  certain  movements  in  the  besiegers'  camp. 
To  effect  this,  it  was  arranged  that  Smith,  in  his  turn,  should 
send  a  challenge  into  the  enemy's  ranks.  A  doughty  Pagan, 
Bonny  Mulgro  by  name,  made  haste  to  accept  it.  A  third  time 
the  lists  were  opened.  The  contest  was  a  furious  one  ;  and  it 
was  only  by  a  skilful  use  of  his  dagger,  after  his  battle-axe  had 
been  beaten  from  his  hand,  that  the  Englishman  managed  to 
snatch  victory  out  of  the  jaws  of  defeat. 

"  For  these  deeds  a  coat  of  arms  was  given  him,  on  which 
stood  out,  in  bold  relief,  three  Turks'  heads. 

"  But  fortune,  that  had  so  far  stood  his  friend,  now  deserted 
him.  In  a  pitched  battle  he  was  left  among  the  dead  and  wounded 
on  the  field,  and  was  there  found  by  the  wretches  who  came  to 
pillage.  Perceiving  by  his  armor  that  he  was  a  person  of  posi- 


130  THE  LIFE  OF  A   SLAVE. 

tion,  they  saved  him  for  ransom.  Healed  of  his  wounds,  he,  with 
many  others,  was  sent  to  Axopolis,  where,  in  the  market-place, 
they  were  sold  for  slaves,  like  so  many  beasts.  He  was  bought 
by  a  bashaw,  who  sent  him  as  a  present  to  his  lady-love  in  Con 
stantinople  ;  whither,  with  other  prisoners  chained  together  by  the 
necks  in  parties  of  twenty,  he  was  marched  without  delay. 

"  He  was  fortunate  in  finding  a  kind  mistress.  She  became 
greatly  interested  in  him ;  and,  fearing  that  her  mother  might 
again  sell  him,  she  had  him  despatched  to  her  brother,  the  Bashaw 
of  Nalbrits,  in  the  country  of  the  Crym  Tartars,  directing  that 
he  should  be  treated  with  especial  kindness. 

"  But  her  commands  were  totally  disregarded.  Within  an  hour 
after  his  arrival,  Smith  was  stripped  naked ;  his  head  and  beard 
were  shaved ;  about  his  neck  was  riveted  a  great  iron  ring ;  a 
rough  coat  of  hair  was  thrown  on  him,  only  held  together  by  a 
piece  of  undressed  hide  ;  and  in  this  wretched  condition  he  was 
made  to  perform  all  the  menial  offices  for  a  hundred  other 
slaves. 

"  After  a  time,  he  was  set  to  threshing.  At  work  one  day  in 
a  lonely  field,  he  was  visited  by  his  master,  who,  in  anger,  began 
to  beat  him :  whereupon,  forgetting  that  he  was  hundreds  of 
miles  from  any  Christian  land,  and  that  his  chances  of  escape 
were  almost  hopeless,  Smith  turned  upon  the  wretch,  and  beat 
out  his  brains  with  his  flail.  Then,  putting  on  the  dead  man's 
clothes,  he  hid  the  body  under  some  straw,  and,  mounting  his 
horse,  fled  at  the  top  of  his  speed.  Sixteen  days  he  kept  on, 
nearly  dying  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  but  mercifully  avoiding 
notice,  which  was  the  cause  of  his  escape ;  for  he  would  at  once 


A    WONDERFUL  ESCAPE.  131 

have  been  known  by  his  collar  to  be  a  slave.  On  the  seven 
teenth  day  he  reached  a  Christian  garrison  on  the  Don,  where 
he  was  among  friends,  and  safe  at  last. 

"  Our  captain  now  thought  that  he  would  return  to  '  his  own 
sweet  countrie : '  but  on  his  way  thither,  being  in  Spain,  and 
hearing  of  the  wars  in  Africa,  he  must  needs  pass  over  at  once 
into  Morocco ;  whence,  after  more  fighting,  he  sailed,  and  again 
set  foot  on  English  soil. 

"  The  time  of  his  arrival  was  especially  fortunate.  To  a  man 
of  his  wild  spirit,  and  contempt  for  danger,  a  chance  for  fresh 
adventure  offered  in  the  planting  a  colony  in  Virginia,  in  the  New 
World.  He  entered  warmly  into  the  project,  and  on  the  iQth  of 
December,  1606,  with  a  hundred  others,  set  sail. 

"  The  three  ships  carried  no  such  company  as  that  which 
fourteen  years  later  settled  New  England.  Instead  of  hard-work 
ing,  God-fearing  men,  these  were  a  band  of  reckless  adventurers, 
lured  by  the  stories  of  the  golden  prizes  which  the  Spaniards 
had  found  in  the  South  Seas,  and  hoping  each  to  so  enrich  him 
self  with  spoils,  that,  after  a  few  months,  he  need  nevermore  do 
any  work.  Of  the  one  hundred,  forty-six  were  gentlemen  ;  twelve 
were  their  servants.  Not  a  single  woman  was  of  the  company. 
To  build  a  city  in  a  new  world,  they  took  with  them  but  four 
carpenters,  one  mason,  one  bricklayer,  one  blacksmith.  Never 
was  a  party  so  ill  assorted. 

"  They  were  fairly  prosperous  on  their  voyage,  which  they 
made  by  way  of  the  West  Indies ;  though  at  the  last  they  fell  in 
with  a  gale  that  so  discouraged  some,  that  they  were  for  turning 
back  to  England.  But,  when  the  storm  had  somewhat  abated, 


132  AN  ILL-ASSORTED   COMPANY. 

the  glad  cry  of  '  Land,  ho  !  '  was  heard  from  the  lookout ;  and 
they  found  themselves  at  the  mouth  of  Chesapeake  Bay.  Wearied 
with  the  long  confinement  of  shipboard,  some  thirty  made  haste 
to  recreate  themselves  on  shore  ;  but  they  were  attacked  by  the 
savages,  and  two  were  badly  hurt ;  whereon  the  rest  with  all 
speed  got  back  to  their  ships. 

"  Some  little  time  was  spent  in  selecting  a  site  whereon  to 
build;  but  on  the  i3th  of  May  a  spot  was  chosen.  Capt.  Smith 
was  sent  off  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  with  a  small  boat's  crew, 
and  the  rest  set  to  work.  While  they  were  building  in  careless 
security,  their  arms  not  even  within  reach,  the  Indians  fell  upon 
them.  One  was  killed  outright,  and  seventeen  wounded ;  and 
they  would  have  been  cut  off  to  a  man,  had  not  a  chain-shot 
from  one  of  the  ships,  tearing  through  the  tree-tops,  put  their 
foes  to  flight. 

"  Hardly  had  the  ships'  sails  disappeared  down  the  horizon, 
on  their  return  to  England  in  June,  before  sickness  came  ;  and, 
in  a  fortnight,  hardly  ten  men  were  on  their  feet.  Night  and 
day  they  had  stood  on  their  guard  against  the  Indians  ;  working 
with  desperate  energy,  in  the  mean  time,  to  finish  their  half-built 
fort  and  houses.  Their  provisions,  too,  had  given  out.  It  was 
now  the  time  for  planting,  and  months  must  elapse  before  they 
could  reap.  For  a  while  they  lived  on  sturgeon  ;  but  those  were 
soon  gone,  and  starvation  stared  them  in  the  face.  '  At  this 
crisis,'  says  the  old  chronicler,  '  God,  the  patron  of  all  good 
endeavours,  so  changed  the  heart  of  the  Salvages  that  they  brought 
such  plenty  of  their  fruits  and  provisions  as  no  man  wanted.' 

"  Capt.  Smith  had  proved  himself  the  ruling  spirit  in  the  midst 


A    RESOLUTE    COMMANDER.  133 

of  all  these  troubles.  He  now  set  out  in  the  pinnace  with  a 
crew  of  seven  to  trade  with  the  savages ;  for  their  provisions 
would  soon  again  fail.  Not  one  of  his  men,  with  a  single  excep 
tion,  had  ever  sailed  a  boat.  They  knew  not  even  how  to  raise 
a  sail.  But  their  hearts  were  staunch ;  and  so,  in  an  open  craft, 
the  eight  set  out  to  face  whole  tribes  of  enemies. 

"  At  their  first  landing  the  Indians  treated  them  with  scorn, 
as  famished  men.  They  offered  them  a  handful  of  corn  for  a 
gun,  and  another  handful  for  their  clothes.  Whereupon,  seeing 
that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  from  such  men  as  these  by  gentle 
ness,  the  captain  ordered  his  men  to  discharge  their  pieces; 
*  whereat  the  Indians  all  fled  into  the  woods.  So,  marching  to 
wards  their  houses,  they  might  see  great  heapes  of  corn,  much 
a  doe  he  had  to  restraine  his  hungry  souldiers  from  present  tak 
ing  of  it,  expecting,  as  it  hapned,  that  the  Salvages  would  assault 
them,  as,  not  long  after,  they  did,  with  a  most  hydeous  noyse. 
Sixtie  or  seaventie  of  them,  some  blacke,  some  red,  some  white, 
some  party-coloured,  came  in  a  square  order,  singing  and  dancing, 
out  of  the  woods,  with  their  Okee  (which  was  an  Idoll  made  of 
skinnes  stuffed  with  moss)  borne  before  them  :  and  in  this  man 
ner,  being  well  armed  with  Clubs,  Targets,  Bowes  and  Arrowes, 
they  charged  the  English,  that  so  kindly  received  them  with  their 
muskets  loaden  with  Pistoll  shot,  that  downe  fell  their  God,  and 
divers  lay  sprauling  on  the  ground  :  the  rest  fled  again  to  the 
woods.'  After  this,  they  were  glad  enough  to  treat  for  peace ; 
and  in  a  short  time,  for  a  few  pieces  of  copper,  Smith  had 
bought  a  boat's .  load  of  corn,  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  the 
settlement. 


134 


SMITH  BINDETH  A   SALUAGE   TO  HIS  ARM. 


"  His  next  voyage  of  any  importance  ended  disastrously  for 
himself;  for  he  was  taken  prisoner.  With  a  small  crew,  as  before, 
he  had  set  out  to  discover  the  sources  of  one  of  the  rivers  that 
emptied  into  the  bay.  They  ascended  the  stream  so  far,  that  their 
barge  could  go  no  farther.  Whereupon  it  was  anchored  in  mid- 
channel,  out  of  the  reach  of  any  stray  arrows  ;  and,  bidding  his 
men  on  no  account  venture  ashore  until  his  return,  the  captain 
made  his  way,  in  a  canoe  with  two  whites  and  two  Indians,  some 
twenty  miles  farther,  to  the  head  of  the  stream. 


fightethtvith  ikeJQna  ^Pamawricee  a 
all  hit  company,  aridjliw  3  of  them. 


"  The  men  remained  in  the  barge,  as  ordered,  for  a  time ;. 
but  they  were  not  accustomed  to  obeying,  and  they  soon  grew 
restless,  and  hauled  the  boat  to  the  river's  bank  to  disembark. 
The  savages  fell  upon  them,  and  it  was  only  by  the  most  vigorous 
efforts  that  they  reached  a  place  of  safety.  As  it  was,  one  was 
taken  and  tortured.  Before  his  death,  his  captors  found  out  from 
him  the  direction  in  which  Smith  had  gone,  and  set  out  to  take 
him  also.  The  two  Englishmen,  his  companions,  they  came  upon 


CAPT.   SMITH   IS   CAPTURED. 


THEY  TAKE  HIM  PRISONER  IN  THE   OOZE.  137 

as  they  were  sitting  by  a  camp-fire ;  and  a  flight  of  arrows  soon 
left  them  lifeless.  Smith  himself  was  hunting  for  their  supper 
with  one  of  the  Indian  guides.  Finding  that  he  was  surrounded 
by  two  hundred  of  the  foe,  he  quickly  with  his  garters  bound 
the  guide  to  his  arm  as  a  shield  ;  and,  plying  his  musket  vigorously, 
he  slew  three  of  the  enemy,  and  so  frightened  the  rest  that  they 
dared  not  come  within  gunshot. 

"  Seeing  this,  he  began  a  retreat  to  his  canoe,  still  with  his 
Indian  shield  before  him  ;  and  he  would  no  doubt  have  reached 
*  had  he  not  slipped,  and  fallen  into  a  pool  of  mud,  where  he 
sank  up  to  his  waist,  unable  to  move.  Even  when  in  this  plight 
his  foes  did  not  dare  to  approach,  till,  half  perished  with  cold, 
he  threw  away  his  piece.  Then  they  dragged  him  out,  and, 
dancing  about  him  with  fierce  glee,  brought  him  to  their  king. 

"  Opechankanough  was  this  worthy's  name.  Capt.  Smith  pre 
sented  him  with  a  compass.  The  motion  of  the  needle,  and  the 
glass  cover,  excited  the  greatest  interest  in  the  royal  mind  ;  and 
when  his  men,  a  little  later,  bound  their  captive  to  a  tree,  and 
took  their  stand  to  shoot  at  him,  he  raised  his  hand,  and  com 
manded  his  release.  Manifestly  a  man  who  knew  so  much  as 
this  one  was  not  to  be  killed  off  like  a  common  prisoner  of  war. 

"  Smith  was  now  for  weeks  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 
They  carried  him  about  from  tribe  to  tribe  as  a  great  show.  At 
one  time  he  narrowly  escaped  death  at  the  hands  of  a  warrior, 
indignant  that  he  did  not  cure  his  son,  to  whom  the  captain  was 
taken  just  as  the  breath  was  leaving  the  lad's  body. 

"  At  one  time  '  they  entertained  him  with  most  strange  and 
fearful  conjurations.'  In  a  long  house  he  was  put  alone.  A  fire 


138 


STXAA'GE  AND  FEARFUL   CONJURATIONS. 


was  made  in  the  centre  of  the  floor,  and  on  each  side  of  it  a 
mat  was  stretched.  On  one  of  these  our  hero  took  his  seat. 
Presently  in  came  a  great  fellow,  painted  black  with  coal  and 


Si'ia  Po'vvKatan  carnanjf  C.'S'nrith,  to 

Fokahc-ntas  begyrhis  life  his 
\ibtecJfd.  3g  of  the  ir 


oil,  and  adorned  with  all  manner  of  hideous  devices.  In  his  hand 
he  bore  a  rattle,  and  in  a  frightful  voice  began  an  invocation  to 
his  god,  dancing  wildly.  A  moment  later,  in  came  three  others 
similarly  gotten  up.  These  four  kept  up  their  frightful  singing, 


ONE   OF   CAPT.    SMITH'S    EXPERIENCES. 


THE  FEAST  ENDS   UNPLEASANTLY. 


howling,  and  dancing,  the  livelong  day  ;  while  their  poor  victim 
looked  on,  fasting.  The  intention  of  all  this,  they  told  him,  was 
to  find  out  whether  he  meant  them  well  or  ill.  It  took  them  three 
days  to  do  this  to  their  satisfaction,  which  must  have  been  far 
from  pleasant  to  poor  Smith. 

"  At  last,  in  the  course  of  their  wanderings,  they  brought  him 
to  Powhatan,  the  chief  of  all  the  tribes.  Here  he  was  received 
in  great  state.  A  queen  brought  him  water  to  wash  his  hands, 
and  feathers  on  which  to  dry  them,  while  two  hundred  grim 
courtiers  looked  on.  Then  he  was  feasted  :  but  the  feast  had  a 
most  unpleasant  ending  for  the  captain  ;  for  two  great  stones  were 
brought  in,  and  he  was  seized,  and  laid  prostrate  on  one,  while 
his  swarthy  captors  stood  ready  to  dash  out  his  brains  with  their 
clubs.  At  this  moment,  when  he  had  given  up  all  hope  of  life, 
Pocahontas,  the  young  daughter  of  the  king,  rushed  forward,  and, 
throwing  herself  beside  him,  shielded  him  with  her  own  body. 
Upon  which  Powhatan  relented,  and  Smith's  life  was  spared  ; 
and,  a  short  time  after,  he  got  safely  back  to  Jamestown." 

"  Is  that  the  end  ?  "  asked  Carrie  as  Charlie  stopped.  "  You 
haven't  told  us  all,  I  am  sure.  Did  Capt.  Smith  have  no  more 
adventures  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Charlie  :  "  there  was  no  end  of  them.  He 
went  off  for  several  years  on  expeditions  among  the  Indians, 
who  were  nearly  always  more  or  less  hostile.  He  had  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight  with  the  King  of  Paspahegh,  who,  being  a  huge 
man,  dragged  him  into  the  river,  and  tried  to  drown  him,  but 
failed,  and  was  himself  taken.  He  seized  the  King  of  Paumaunkee 
by  his  scalp-lock  in  the  face  of  seven  hundred  of  his  armed 


142 


SMITHES  POWDER-BAG  EXPLODES. 


warriors.  They  had  planned  to  take  Smith,  but  found  themselves 
outwitted,  and  the  king  at  the  mercy  of  his  pistol  if  they  dared 
to  move  a  hand. 

"  Nor  were  the  Indians  the  only  people  that  engaged  his 
attention ;  for,  nearly  every  time  that  he  came  back  to  Jamestown, 
6e  had  to  crush  a  rebellion  among  the  settlers,  who  were  a  sad 


"  At  last  a  great  accident  befell  our  captain.  '  Sleeping  in 
his  Boate,  accidentallie  one  fired  his  powder-bag,  which  tore  the 
flesh  from  his  body  and  thighes,  nine  or  ten  inches  square,  in  a 
most  pittiful  manner;  but  to  quench  the  tormenting  fire,  frying 
him  in  his  cloaths,  he  leaped  over-boord  into  the  deepe  river, 


C.Smitfi  toKethtfit  J&np  of  famavnl^ee jvifongr    - 


FROM   AN   OLD   HISTORY   OF   VIRGINIA. 


AN  HONEST  GENTLEMAN  OF  GOOD  BEHA  VIOUR.  145 

where,  ere  they  could  recover  him,  hee  was  neare  drowned.'  There 
was  no  physician  in  the  country  skilful  enough  to  cure  a  wound 
so  severe  as  he  had  received  ;  and,  a  ship  being  about  to  return 
to  England  the  next  day,  he  hastily  had  another  person  appointed 
governor  in  his  stead,  and  bade  farewell  to  the  colony  forever. 

"  Did  his  wound  heal  ?  "  asked  Kate. 

"Yes,"  said  Charlie:  "he  made  many  other  voyages  to  Amer 
ica,  but  they  were  to  New  England." 

"  That  part  about  Pocahontas,"  said  Jack  Hastings  medita 
tively,  "  reminds  me  of  my  great-grandmother." 

"What  became  of  Pocahontas?"   asked  Rose. 

"  She  was  always  a  staunch  friend  of  Capt.  Smith's,"  said 
Charlie.  "  Several  times  she  came  in  the  night  to  warn  him  of 
treachery  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  After  the  captain  had  gone 
back  to  England,  her  father  became  very  restless;  and  the  settlers 
by  a  stratagem  seized  her,  and  kept  her  as  a  hostage  for  his 
good  conduct.  While  she  was  thus  held,  'Master  John  Rolfe,  an 
honest  gentleman  and  of  good  behaviour,'  became  very  anxious 
about  her  soul,  and  determined  to  convert  her.  His  efforts  were 
successful,  and  she  was  baptized.  They  fell  in  love  with  one 
another,  and  were  married.  It  was  a  very  happy  union ;  for  she 
was  very  quiet  and  gentle  in  her  nature. 

"  Rolfe  took  her  to  England,  where  she  was  presented  at  court, 
and  attracted  great  attention.  They  were  just  about  to  take  ship 
back  to  America,  when  she  suddenly  died.  There  are  many 
families  in  Virginia  now  which  are  very  proud  to  trace  back  their 
descent  to  this  Indian  princess." 

"  Hark !  "  said  Mrs.  Longwood,  holding  up  her  hand.  "  Can 
that  be  rain?" 


146  A   PETTY  TYRANT. 


They  all  stopped  to  listen ;  but  the  fire  made  such  a  crack 
ling,  that  no  one  could  hear  distinctly. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Mr.  Longwood :  "let  us  go  on  with  our 
stories.  —  What  have  you  for  us,  Lou  ?  " 

"In  the  early  years  of  the  Revolution,"  said  Lou,  "there  was 
stationed  at  Newport  a  detachment  of  the  British  army.  In  those 
old  days  the  harbor  of  Newport  was  white  with  the  sails  of  mer 
chantmen  ;  but  the  war  soon  put  a  stop  to  all  peaceful  sailing  of 
the  seas,  and  these  vessels,  one  after  the  other,  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  The  English  men-of-war  lay  in  the  harbor,  and 
the  English  soldiers  were  billeted  on  the  town.  In  command  of 
the  land  forces  was  Gen.  Prescott.  There  was  no  man  whom  the 
Americans  more  hated  and  despised;  for  he  was  the  soul  of  mean 
ness.  The  people  were,  of  course,  at  his  mercy;  and  this  petty 
tyrant  took  every  advantage  of  his  position.  When  he  walked  in 
the  streets,  if  he  saw  two  or  three  talking  together  he  would 
shake  his  cane  at  them,  and  call  out,  'Disperse,  ye  rebels!'  He 
made  it  a  rule  that  every  one  should  take  off  his  hat  on  pass 
ing  him.  One  day  he  met  a  Quaker  named  Elisha  Anthony. 
This  man  kept  his  hat  on,  as  is  the  custom  with  Quakers,  because, 
as  he  himself  said,  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  show  those 
signs  of  respect  to  man.  Prescott  ordered  his  servant  to  knock 
it  off  his  head. 

"  Anthony  had  a  pair  of  horses  that  he  had  grown  very  fond 
of.  They  knew  him,  and  were  warm  friends ;  for  he  was  never 
tired  of  petting  them.  The  day  after  his  affair  with  the  British 
general,  that  officer  sent  for  these  horses,  saying  that  he  wished 
them  in  the  king's  service  to  carry  an  express  to  Boston.  Resist- 


PRESCOTT  BUILDS  A   SIDEWALK.  147 

ance  was  useless.  What  became  of  one  is  not  known ;  but  that 
afternoon  Anthony  found  the  other  by  the  roadside,  prostrate. 
He  had  been  ridden  furiously,  and  was  dying.  The  old  man 
hurried  to  him,  and,  kneeling  down,  took  his  head  into  his  lap. 
The  poor  beast  gave  one  look  of  pain  and  misery  in  his  master's 
face,  and  died. 

"  When  Prescott  took  up  his  quarters  in  Newport,  he  wished 
a  sidewalk  in  front  of  his  house.  There  were  no  stones  conven 
ient:  so  his  men  quietly  took  the  door-steps  of  the  houses  near, 
and  built  one  with  them. 

"  He  arrested  the  townspeople  on  the  slightest  provocation, 
and  kept  them  in  jail  to  show  his  power.  One  citizen  named 
Tripp  was  thus  treated.  He  was  not  allowed  to  write,  or  hear 
from  his  family ;  though  his  quick-witted  wife  managed  to  write 
him  a  letter,  which  she  baked  in  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  sent  him. 
When  she  went  to  petition  Prescott  for  her  husband's  relief,  she 
was  met  by  his  aide,  who  slammed  the  door  in  her  face,  having 
first  told  her  that  he  expected  that  her  husband  would  be  hung 
as  a  rebel  in  less  than  a  week." 

"What  old  brutes  he  and  his  master  must  have  been!"  said 
Tom. 

"  Well,"  went  on  Lou,  "  you  may  imagine  that  Prescott  was 
pretty  thoroughly  hated.  At  last,  in  the  summer  of  1777,  he  had 
his  quarters  at  a  farmhouse  belonging  to  a  Quaker.  The  house 
was  about  five  miles  from  Newport,  and  was  close  to  the  shore. 
In  front  of  it  were  anchored  three  frigates,  each  with  their  guard- 
boats  out ;  and  close  at  hand  was  an  encampment  of  light-horse 
and  a  guard-house.  Col.  Barton  of  the  patriot  army  conceived  a 


148  "ALL'S   WELL!" 


plan  to  surprise  Prescott  by  night,  and  carry  him  off.  It  was  a 
scheme  full  of  danger,  but  one  which,  if  successful,  would  bring 
great  glory  to  all  concerned.  He  chose  forty  men,  on  every  one 
of  whom  he  knew  he  could  depend  in  -emergency.  Each  man, 
too,  knew  how  to  handle  an  oar ;  for  it  might  well  be  that 
they  would  need  to  show  a  clean  pair  of  heels,  should  the  men- 
of-war  espy  them.  In  several  boats,  with  muffled  oars,  the  party 
set  out  from  the  mainland.  It  was  about  nine  o'clock  on  the 
night  of  the  loth  of  July.  They  passed  silently  across  the  bay, 
so  close  to  the  frigate's  guard-boats  that  they  plainly  heard  the 
sentinel's  cry  of  '  All's  well ! '  and  landed  in  a  cove  near  the 
house. 

"  Here  the  party  divided.  One  section  took  a  roundabout 
path,  and  came  up  to  the  rear  of  the  house,  cutting  off  all 
escape  in  that  direction.  The  other  marched  stealthily  forward, 
led  by  a  negro,  Jack  Sisson,  who  had  been  Prescott's  servant. 

"They  passed  between  the  guard -house  and  the  cavalry- 
encampment,  and  came  directly  up  to  the  front  -  door.  The 
sentinel  on  duty  called  out,  '  Who's  there  ? '  but  they  paid  no 
attention,  and  marched  steadily  on.  '  Who's  there  ? '  called  out 
the  man  again.  '  Give  the  countersign.' 

"  '  We  have  no  countersign,'  said  Barton.  '  Have  you  seen 
any  deserters  here  to-night  ?  ' 

"  Deceived  by  this  question,  the  guard  let  them  approach 
nearer,  and  in  a  moment  more  was  seized,  and  threatened  with 
instant  death  if  he  made  a  sound. 

"  Barton,  with  some  of  his  men,  at  once  entered  the  house. 
The  Quaker  was  sitting  reading :  all  the  others  of  the  family 


CAPTURED  IN  HIS  SHIRT.  149 

had  gone  to  bed.  In  response  to  their  demand,  '  Where  is 
Prescott's  room  ? '  he  pointed  to  the  one  directly  overhead.  We 
can  imagine  the  joy  with  which  he  heard  them  dash  up  stairs, 
Jack  the  negro  leading  the  way.  The  door  was  locked.  No 
time  was  to  be  lost.  Jack  backed  the  width  of  the  hall,  and, 
rushing  forward  with  head  down,  burst  it  open  at  the  first  blow. 

"  Prescott  sprang  up  in  bed  as  they  entered  ;  but  there  was 
no  chance  for  escape.  His  aide  in  another  room,  hearing  the 
noise,  jumped  out  of  the  window  to  give  the  alarm,  but  was 
instantly  captured  by  the  men  below.  Barton  ordered  the  gen 
eral  to  rise,  and  go  with  them.  He  begged  for  time  to  dress. 
But  delay  was  dangerous.  Throwing  a  cloak  about  him,  they 
took  him  in  his  shirt,  telling  him  that  on  the  other  side  of  the 
bay  he  would  have  time  to  dress  at  his  leisure.  The  rest  of 
the  party,  who  had  remained  on  guard  outside,  formed  around  the 
prisoners  ;  and  as  stealthily  as  they  came  they  made  their  way 
back  to  the  boats.  Once  again  with  muffled  oars  they  passed 
by  the  frigates,  the  men  chuckling  to  themselves  as  they  heard 
the  sentry's  cry  of  '  All's  well ! '  and  thinking  of  the  chagrin  that 
would  befall  them,  when,  a  little  later,  they  learned  that  all  was 
ill. 

"  A  carriage  was  waiting  on  the  main  -  land.  As  they  were 
about  to  enter  it,  Prescott  broke  the  silence  that  he  had  held 
since  his  capture.  '  Sir,'  he  said,  turning  to  Barton,  '  you  have 
made  a  bold  push  to-night. '  — '  We  have  been  fortunate,'  said 
that  hero." 

"  Wasn't  it  just  splendid  !  "  said  the  boys. 

"  This  daring  deed  was  instantly  known   far  and  wide.      Con- 


ISO  A   DISH  OF  SUCCOTASH. 

gress  presented  the  gallant  colonel  a  sword,  and  a  grant  of  land 
in  Vermont.  This  land,  though,  brought  him  great  trouble  in 
the  end.  In  managing  it,  his  affairs  became  involved,  and  he 
was  arrested.  It  was  in  the  days  when  people  were  imprisoned 
for  debt ;  and  for  fourteen  years  the  hero  lay  in  jail.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  La  Fayette  revisited  America.  Asking  for  his 
old  friend,  he  heard  with  grief  and  indignation  of  his  hard  fate, 
and  at  once  paid  his  debts,  and  set  him  free." 

"  And  what  became  of  old  Prescott  ? "  asked  Charlie. 

"  He  was  sent  to  Washington's  headquarters  in  New  Jersey. 
His  late  ignoble  capture  did  not  seem  to  have  improved  his 
manners.  On  his  way  thither  he  stopped  to  dine  at  a  tavern 
kept  by  one  Capt.  Alden,  in  Lebanon,  Conn.  Mrs.  Alden 
brought  him  his  dinner.  Among  the  dishes  was  one  of  succo 
tash.  Prescott  took  up  the  dish,  and  threw  it  on  the  floor, 
exclaiming,  '  What !  do  you  treat  me  with  the  food  of  hogs  ? ' 

"  Upon  this  Mrs.  Alden  left  the  room.  The  British  officer 
was  somewhat  dismayed,  a  little  later,  to  see  her  stalwart  hus 
band  enter  with  a  horsewhip  in  his  hand.  It  was  too  late  then 
to  regret  his  rudeness.  He  was  seized,  and  had  a  good 
dressing." 

"Oh,  cricky  !  "    said  Jack  ecstatically.     "  What  fun  !  " 

"  He  was  exchanged  after  some  months,  and  went  back  to 
Newport  to  his  old  command.  But  the  horsewhipping  seems  to 
have  rankled.  He  was  visited  by  a  committee  of  citizens  on 
some  business,  on  one  occasion  after  his  return.  To  one  of 
them  he  was  so  rude  and  violent,  that  the  gentleman  left  the 
room.  On  his  friends  asking  of  him  the  reason,  Prescott  said 


MY  GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.  153 

that  he  looked  so  much  like   a  Connecticut   man  who  had   horse 
whipped  him,  that  he  could  not  abide  his  presence." 

"  That's    a    tiptop    story,"    said    Jack    with    enthusiasm ;    "  but 
just  wait  till  you  hear  about  my  great-grandmother !  " 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THERE  was  no  doubt  at 
all,  when  the  children  trooped 
off  to  bed  that  night,  as  to 
whether  it  was  raining  or  not. 
The  clatter  on  the  roof  above 
and  about  them  was  so  loud, 
that  they  could  hardly  hear 
one  another  speak.  It  was 
like  the  trampling  of  many 
feet.  Ned  went  to  the  window,  and  flattened  his  nose  against 
the  pane  in  a  vain  attempt  to  see  something  in  the  darkness 
outside ;  but  what  little  he  did  see  was  so  depressing,  that  he 
made  haste  to  take  off  his  clothes,  and  get  into  bed.  Will 
Morgan  had  not  come  up,  having  stayed  behind  to  do  a  little 
writing.  The  other  boys,  sitting  in  bed,  with  their  hands  clasped 
about  their  knees,  waited  for  him,  listening  to  the  wind  which 
was  coming  in  blasts  that  made  the  house  shake,  and  that  dashed 
the  rain  against  the  pane  as  if  it  would  break  the  glass. 

"  What  a  wild   night  it  is  at   sea !  "  said    Charlie.     "  The   men 
at  the  life-saving  station  must   have  a  fearful   time   patrolling   the 
154 


"TO  BED,    TO  BED,   SAYS  SLEEPY  HEAD."  155. 

beach  in  such  a  storm.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  there  were  wrecks 
on  the  coast  before  morning." 

"  Yes,"  said  Ned  sleepily ;  "  but,  if  the  rain  keeps  on  long 
enough  to  take  off  the  snow,  there  will  be  good  skating  again 
when  it  clears.  I  wonder  what  Will  can  be  writing,  to  keep  him 
so  long.  I'm  going  to  sleep,  anyway ;  "  and,  stretching  himself 
down  in  the  bed,  he  pulled  up  the  clothes,  and  was  off  in  no- 
time.  The  other  boys  followed  his  example  with  such  speed, 
that,  when  Will  did  come,  he  found  no  one  awake  to  greet  him. 

"  Whew  !  "  whistled  Tom,  sitting  up  in  bed  for  a  moment  at 
half-past  seven  the  next  morning.  "  Isn't  it  a  stinger  ?  It  has 
cleared  off  cold  with  a  vengeance.  I  have  been  dreaming,  for 
ever  so  long,  that  I  was  a  snow  man  ;  and  my  nose  is  just  like 
a  lump  of  ice.  I'll  wager  that  the  water  is  frozen  stiff  in  the 
pitchers  ;  "  and  a  little  cloud  of  frozen  vapor  rose  from  his  mouth 
as  he  spoke. 

"  I  say,"  he  went  on,  "  who's  going  to  make  the  fire  ?  There 
are  kindlings  and  the  oak  logs  all  ready.  If  any  of  you  fellows 
want  to  do  it,  don't  hesitate  on  my  account." 

At  this  there  was  a  sudden  stillness,  all  the  boys  pretending 
to  be  fast  asleep. 

"Well,  I  can't  be  much  colder  than  I  am  now,"  said  he;  "so 
here  goes :  "  and  out  he  jumped.  The  crackling  flames  were 
soon  roaring  up  the  chimney,  and  the  pitchers  were  set  down  in 
front  of  it  to  thaw  out ;  and  gradually  the  boys,  one  after  another, 
crawled  out  of  bed,  and  sat  before  the  blaze  to  dress. 

"  I  say,  fellows  !  "  cried  Ned,  all  at  once  glancing  out  of  the 
window.  "  Come  quick !  Why,  here's  a  great  sh«p  right  in  shore,. 


156  THE  SEA   IN  A    GALE, 

and  she's   had   a   hard   time    of  it    too.     Her  sails   are   all   blown 
away.     She  must  be  going  aground." 

"  No,"  said  Will,  after  watching  her  a  moment  or  two  :  "  the 
wind  is  off  shore,  and  she  has  sail  enough  to  make  headway  against 
any  current  setting  towards  land.  But  I  don't  envy  the  sailors. 


Think  of  being  out  at  such  a  time !  The  sea  dashes  over  the 
decks  every  minute  or  two,  and  must  freeze  instantly ;  and  the 
rigging  is  stiff  with  ice.  But  we  shall  be  stiff  ourselves  if  we 
stand  here,  and,  besides,  be  late  to  breakfast." 

"  I  wonder,"  said   Ned   Grant  when   they   were   all   about   the 


THE    WRECK  OF  "THE  SYLPH."  157 

table,  "  what  writing  it  could  have  been  that  kept  Will  up  so  late 
last  night.     It  looks  suspicious." 

"  I  know,"  said  Jack:  "  it  was  poetry.  It  fell  out  of  his  coat 
when  he  put  it  on  this  morning.  He  picked  it  up  very  quickly; 
but  I  saw  it.  —  Don't  blush,"  he  said,  turning  to  Will  patronizingly : 
"  I've  written  poetry  myself." 

"  O  Will !  "  said  the  girls :  "  do  let  us  hear  it !  " 
Will,  thus  besought,  tried  to  beg  off.  Finally,  finding  that 
there  was  no  use,  he  produced  the  paper  from  his  pocket. 
"  When  we  were  all  over  at  the  life-saving  station  yesterday,"  he 
said,  "  one  of  the  men  told  me  that  his  father,  an  old  sea-captain, 
told  him  of  the  wreck  of  a  British  man-of-war  that  took  place 
when  he  was  a  boy.  So,  when  we  were  in  the  village,  I  hap 
pened  to  meet  the  old  gentleman,  and  he  told  me  all  about  it. 
I  tried  to  put  it  in  rhyme  as  follows  :  "  — 

THE    WRECK    OF    "THE    SYLPH." 

'Tis  nigh  upon  seventy  years  ago 

Since  "  The  Sylph  "  came  ashore  : 

'Twas  the  war  of  eighteen  hundred  and  twelve, 

And  she  was  a  British  sloop-of-war. 

Lord  !    I  can  see  it  all  again,  — 

The  gale,  and  the  spray,  and  the  wild  surfs  roar, 

And  the  wave-lashed  corpses  of  drownded  men ; 

Though  I  was  but  a  lad  of  ten 

When  "  The  Sylph  "  came  ashore. 

And  the  old  sea-captain's  silver  hair 

Fluttered  and  tossed  in  the  summer  air, 

As  he  leaned  at  ease  o'er  his  garden-gate, 

And  told  me  the  tale  of  "  The  Sylph's  "  hard  fate. 


158  ASHORE   ON  SOUTHAMPTON  BEACH. 

Did  we  know  the  craft?    Ay,  we  knew  her  well, 

From  Montauk  Point  to  Fire-Island  Light. 

Many  a  time  from  her  decks  had  a  shell 

Screamed  through  the  air  in  the  quiet  night, 

Waking  the  siknt  village  street 

With  its  roar  and  the  tramp  of  flying  feet; 

Many  a  night  had  a  ruddy  glare 

Lighted  the  landscape  far  and  near, 

As  some  old  homestead  and  barns  were  burned, 

And  the  labor  of  years  into  ashes  turned. 

And  so,  when  one  cold  December  morn, 

Ere  the  moon's  pale  light  had  faded  out, 

A  hurrying  sound  of  feet  was  heard, 

And  on  the  chill  night  air  rang  forth  the  shout,— 

"'The  Sylph's'  ashore  on  Southampton  beach!" 

We  wasted  no  time  in  idle  speech ; 

But  each  man  sped  to  the  beach  away 

To  meet  the  foe  that  was  now  at  bay. 

This  was  the  sight  that  met  our  eyes 
In  that  cold  dawning  dim  and  gray, — 
A  white-capped  mass  of  swirling  foam, 
Filling  the  air  with  its  icy  spray : 
Out  of  its  midst  there  rose  a  mast 
Black  with  the  bodies  of  men  lashed  fast; 
And  each  wild  wave,  as  it  came  ashore, 
With  its  icy  fingers  some  poor  wretch  tore 
From  his  frail  hold,  and  with  wrathful  hand 
Beat  out  his  life  on  the  shallow  sand. 

What  could  we  do  in  a  strait  like  that? 
What  ship  could  live  in  so  mad  a  sea? 


THE    WILD    WIND    WHISTLING  SHRILL. 


159 


Women  wailed  as  they  watched  it  all; 
Strong  men  looked  on  helplessly. 
Crash  !   all  at  once  the  mast  went  down, 
Hurling  them  sheer  in  the  surf  to  drown. 
One  mad  struggle,  then  all  was  still; 
Only  the  wild  wind  whistling  shrill. 
Out  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  men, 
Only  six  walked  the  earth  again. 


We  buried  the  dead  that  came  ashore : 
You  may  see  their  graves  at  the  inlet  still. 
But  the  wreck  turned  out  a  prize  indeed, 
And  we  picked  her  bones  with  a  right  good  will. 


i6o 


HOW   THE  MEETING-HOUSE    WAS  BUILT. 


From  her  guns  and  timbers  of  cedar-wood 
We  built  us  a  meeting-house  strong  and  good. 


THE   WRECK. 


And  I've  often  heard  the  parson  tell 
That  he  heard  these  words  in  her  swinging  bell,' 
"To  the  pruning-hook  ye  shall  beat  the  sword; 
For  the  wrath  of  men  shall  praise  the  Lord." 


JACK   MAKES   SUGGESTIOA7S. 


"Very  good,  very  good,"  said  Jack  when  he  had  finished; 
"  as  a  whole,  very  good.  Ma}*  I  trouble  you  to  read  the  first 
part  again  ?  " 

Will  read  it. 

"  It's  a  little  remarkable,  isn't  it,"  said  Jack,  looking  around, 
"  that  there  should  have  been  such  a  difference  in  the  weather 
on  the  two  sides  of  the  pond  yesterday  ?  Here  it  wa^  snowing 
and  blowing,  and  over  there  the  old  sea-captain's  silver  hail  \vas 
tossing  in  the  summer  air." 

"  That's  poetical  license/'  said  Will. 

"  If  you  had  consulted  me,"  said  Jack, "  I  should  have  recom 
mended  a  change.  You  might  have  put  it  this  way :  — 

And  the  old  sea-captain  shivered  with  cold, 
And  told  me  the  tale  which  I  have  just  told." 

"  But,"  said  Will,  "  the  lines  that  you  object  to  come  in  the 
very  beginning,  before  he  has  told  the  story." 

"  Oh !  well,"  said  Jack,  "  then  you  might  have  said,  — 

And  the  old  sea-captain's  silver  hair 
Stood  up  on  end  in  the  frosty  air." 

"  It  is  hereby  requested,"  said  Will,  laughing,  "  that  Jack  tell 
us  the  story  about  his  great-grandmother  in  rhyme." 

"  Let's  go  and  skate,  fellows,"  said  Jack  all  at  once :  "  the 
ice  looks  beautifully." 

"  Do  you  happen  to  know  that  the  thermometer  stands  at 
zero,  or  lower  ?  "  said  Carrie. 

"  We  are  going  to  have  a  talk  from  Mr.  Longwood  about 
fishes,  after  breakfast  is  over,"  said  Gertrude.  "  There  are  some 


1 62 


AN   OPEN   COUNTENANCE. 


beautiful  pictures  of  them  in  a  book  in  the  library,  and  he  is 
going  to  tell  us  something  as  to  their  habits.  If  you  boys  will 
promise  to  be  very  quiet,  you  may  come  too." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Jack.  "  It  would  be  very  pleasant.  Per 
haps  we  will  come  in  a  little  later.  Fishes  seem  somehow  to 
belong  more  to  summer  than  to  winter.  But  we'll  try  to  come 
in,  after  skating  a  while."  And  the  young  scapegrace  rushed  out 
of  the  door.  The  other  boys  followed,  as  they  said,  to  see  where 

Jack  had  gone ;  but  as 
the  girls  saw  them  all, 
a  little  later,  putting  on 
their  skates  at  the 
pond's  edge,  they  made 
up  their  minds  that 
waiting  for  them  would 
be  but  a  loss  of  time. 
The  book  of  plates  was 
lying  on  the  table  in 
the  library,  and  the  girls 
were  all  bending  over 
it  when  Mr.  Longwood 
came  into  the  room. 
"  (f)h !  "  cried  out  Carrie  as  a  leaf  was  turned,  "  what  is  that 
strange  fellow  with  a  line  and  bait  ?  " 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "is  a  frog-angler.  He  has  a 
small  body,  and  an  enormously  big  head ;  and,  from  the  shape  of 
the  mouth,  you  will  see  that  he  has  a  very  open  countenance 
when  he  smiles.  Owing  to  his  shape,  he  cannot  swim  very  fast; 


FROG-ANGLER. 


A    NEW    WAY   TO    FISH. 


163 


so  that,  had  he  to  depend  on  speed  for  his  breakfast,  he  would 
often  go  hungry.  Nature  has  therefore  provided  another  way 
for  him  to  get  his  meals.  Do  you  see  the  rod  and  line  that 
stand  out  of  his  head  ?  That  is  tipped  at  the  end,  where  it 
grows  larger,  with  a  bright-colored  piece  of  membrane  that  answers 
for  a  bait.  The  rod,  too,  has  a  joint  in  it,  so  that  it  can  be 
moved  about  in  every  direction  Our  fisherman,  when  he  gets 
hungry,  stirs  up  the 
mud  so  as  to  hide 
himself  from  sight  in 
the  dirty  water,  and 
then  sets  his  line.  Be 
fore  long,  some  foolish 
little  fish  espies  the 
tempting  bait,  and  goes 
up  to  smell  of  it. 
Snap  go  the  great 
jaws,  and  little  fish  is 
gone.  It  is  said  that 
the  frog-angler  some 
times  grows  to  be  ten 
feet  long. 

"This  fellow,"  he 
went  on  as  Gertrude 
turned  over  a  page,  "is  a  lump-sucker.  From  his  appearance 
he  might  be  called  '  Old  Barnacles  ; '  for  he  is  as  rough  as  a  ship's 
bottom.  On  the  lower  part  of  his  body  there  is  an  arrangement 
called  a  sucker,  by  which  he  can  make  himself  fast  to  any  object. 


LUMP-SUCKER. 


1 64  VISITING    THE    FISH-MARKET. 

In  this  way  he  can  protect  himself  against  the  violence  of  the 
waves,  which  would  otherwise  beat  his  clumsy  person  about  with 
out  mercy.  So  tightly  can  he  hold  with  his  sucker,  that  if  yot' 
put  one  in  a  tub  of  water,  and  he  attaches  himself  to  the  bottom, 
you  may  use  his  tail  as  a  handle,  and  with  this  lift  tub,  water 
and  all,  into  the  air.  The  eggs  of  this  fish  are  deposited  in 
shallows.  When  they  hatch,  the  little  suckers  ail  make  fast  to 
their  papa,  and  he  swims  off  with  them  into  deep  water." 

"  Are  they  good  to  eat  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  Seals  are  very  fond  of  them,"  said  Mr.  Longwood ;  "  but 
they  are  rather  too  oily  to  please  human  beings.  People  who 
live  in  cold  countries,  and  see  only  the  gray  and  silver  fish  that 
are  common  with  us,  have  no  idea  of  the  beautiful  colors  that 
they  wear  in  tropic  seas.  In  the  West  Indies,  for  instance,  I 
have  seen  fish  of  three  colors,  striped  around  like  a  zebra ;  and 
each  color  was  as  brilliant  as  can  well  be  imagined,  —  yellow,  red, 
and  blue.  Tropical  waters  are  often  so  clear,  that  one  can  lean 
over  the  boat's  side,  and  make  out  the  whole  sea-bottom,  with 
its  moving  panorama  of  marine  life,  far  below.  You  don't  have 
to  wait  till  the  fish  pulls  the  line  to  know  whether  you  have  a 
bite  or  not ;  for  you  can  look  down,  and  watch  his  every  action. 

"  One  morning  I  got  up  very  early  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
fish-market.  The  islands  swarm  with  negroes :  and  their  jabber 
is  something  astonishing ;  for  they  all  talk  at  once,  and  never 
stop.  I  pushed  my  way  through  the  market-place,  filled  with 
women  sitting  on  the  ground,  with  little  piles  of  lemons  or  oranges 
for  sale  about  them,  and  presently  came  to  the  spot  for  which 
I  had  set  out.  Fish  cannot  be  killed,  as  with  us ;  for,  owing  to 


GOOD-BY    TO    POLLYWOG. 


the  heat  of  the  climate,  they  keep  but  a  few  hours  :  so  they  are 
put  in  tubs  as  soon  as  they  are  caught.  I  found  myself  sur 
rounded  by  these  large  tubs  of  water,  in  all  of  which  were  fish 
darting  about  as  briskly  as  if  they  had  never  known  any  other 
home. 

"I  stood  on  one  side  a  little  while  to  see  how  business  was 
done.  Presently  down  came  a  negro-woman.  She  looked  into 
the  various  tubs,  and  at  last  selected  two  victims.  A  lively  hag 
gle  as  to  price  now  be 
gan.  This  being  over, 
she  said,  '  Keel  dose.' 
The  man  slipped  a  net 
under  the  two  poor 
wretches,  and,  whisk 
ing  them  out  of  the 
water,  put  them  on 
a  little  tray  which  she 
had.  She  stuck  the 
tray  on  her  head,  —  ne 
groes  carry  every  thing 
on  their  heads,  from  a 


SEA-HORSE. 


banana  to   a   barrel   of 

flour,  —  and  walked  off;  the  poor  fish  making  their  last  dying  flaps 

above  her  unregarded. 

"This  next  specimen  is  a  sea-horse.  He  takes  his  name  from 
his  slight  resemblance  to  that  animal.  He  whips  his  tail  about 
some  plant,  and  waits  quietly.  Woe  to  the  heedless  little  polly- 
wog  that  wanders  near  him !  That  sharp  nose  is  after  him  in  a 


1 66  HOW   TO   MEET  A    FAMINE. 

moment,    and    mamma    pollywog   waits    in    vain    for   her   beloved 
truant  to  come  back  to  her  again. 

"  Here,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "is  an  animal  that  is  known  as 
a  sea-cucumber.  On  its  head  grows,  as  you  notice,  a  flower-like 
cluster.  The  sea-cucumber  varies  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  in 
length,  and  lies  with  its  body  under  the  sand,  its  head  alone 
projecting.  It  is  a  very  strange  beast.  If  it  is  frightened  or 

attacked  it  will  throw 
out  all  its  teeth,  its 
stomach,  and  the  rest 
of  its  insides,  and 
become  nothing  but 
a  thin  empty  bag. 
Gradually  all  these 
displaced  parts  begin 
to  grow  again ;  and, 
after  some  months, 
there  is  the  complete 
sea-cucumber  as  fresh 
and  lively  as  ever.  In 
SEA-CUCUMBER.  famine  it  adopts  a  pe 

culiar  plan.     It  gradually  breaks  off  parts  of  its  body,  and  throws 
them  away,  until  nothing  but  the  head  is  left.     Should  food  come 
in  time,  a  new  body  grows  on  the  old  head." 
"  Are  they  good  to  eat  ? "  asked  Kate. 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  The  Chinese  are  very 
fond  of  them  ;  .and  hundreds  of  tons  of  trepang,  as  they  call  it, 
are  caught  every  year.  The  Feejee  Islands  are  a  great  fishing- 


A    CANNIBAL    FEAST.  1 67 


grdund  for  them.  The  inhabitants  of  the  islands  are  cannibals, 
and  would  prefer  to  eat  the  sailors  rather  than  catch  trepang  for 
them ;  so  that  a  sharp  watch  has  to  be  kept.  There  are  Ameri 
can  ships  engaged  in  the  business.  The  first  thing  to  be  done 
on  arriving  on  the  ground  is  to  open  communication  with  the 
islanders ;  for  they  are  to  do  the  catching.  A  prominent  chief  or 
two  are  taken  on  the  ship  as  hostages,  and  then  the  work 
begins. 

"  The  Feejees  in  great  numbers  dive  by  the  hour  each  time 
through  the  clear  water,  picking  out  their  victims,  and  always 
coming  up  with  them  in  their  hands.  They  used  to  be  paid  for 
this  work  a  whale's  tooth  for  every  hogshead  they  caught ;  but 
of  late  years  they  prefer  hatchets  and  such  things.  The  crew  of 
the  ship,  meanwhile,  have  built  great  bins  on  shore ;  and  into 
these  the  trepang  are  thrown.  After  lying  a  day  they  are  split 
open,  and  dried  over  slow  fires ;  then  packed  away  for  their 
voyage  to  China,  where  they  are  esteemed  a  great  delicacy, 
and  used  for  soups." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  that  it  would  be  altogether  comfortable, 
working  among  cannibals,"  said  Lou. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood :  "  the  sailors  have  to  be  on  their 
guard  all  the  time.  The  wretched  islanders  sometimes  wait  till  a 
strong  wind  is  blowing  to  the  shore.  Then  in  the  night  they 
swim  out,  and,  diving,  manage  to  break  the  ship's  cable.  Before 
the  sails  can  be  raised,  the  ship  is  in  the  breakers ;  and  the 
Feejees  roast  and  eat  the  crews." 

Just  at  this  moment  there  came  a  loud  shout  of  laughter 
from  the  lake.  The  girls  rushed  to  their  windows  to  see  the 


1 68  THISTLE    CREATES   AN  EXCITEMENT. 

cause.  The  boys,  standing  by  the  pier,  were  holding  on  to  one 
another,  and  shouting  with  laughter ;  while  an  old  man  on  the 
ice  beside  them  was  chuckling,  and  grinning  from  ear  to  ear. 
Half-way  up  the  lawn  came  Thistle  at  full  speed,  his  tail  be 
tween  his  legs,  and  his  little  gray  body  making  such  time,  that 
he  looked,  indeed,  like  a  puff  of  thistle-down  blown  by  the  wind. 
Garm  stood  still  on  the  ice,  looking  at  his  flight  with  astonish 
ment. 

"  Those  horrid  boys  !  "  cried  Carrie  :  "  they  have  been  teasing 
my  dog."  And  she  rushed  to  the  door,  and  stood  ready  to  take 
up  Thistle  when  he  arrived. 

But  he  could  not  stop  for  any  endearments.  He  shot  by 
her,  and,  making  for  the  sofa,  darted  under  it,  refusing  to  come 
out  in  spite  of  all  his  mistress's  attentions.  While  Carrie  was  on 
her  knees,  trying  to  coax  him,  Will  Morgan  appeared  at  the 
door. 

"  O  Will ! "  she  cried,  "  what  have  you  been  doing  to 
Thistle?" 

"  Nothing  at  all,"  said  Will,  laughing.  "  You  see,  the  dog 
has  been  awfully  cross  all  the  morning.  While  we  were  putting 
on  our  skates,  an  old  fellow  who  has  a  wooden  leg  came  stump 
ing  along,  and  began  to  talk  with  us.  Thistle  did  not  like  his 
looks ;  though  the  man  took  a  great  fancy  to  him,  and  tried 
to  make  friends.  Every  time  he  spoke,  Thistle  snapped  and 
snarled ;  and  all  at  once  he  rushed  at  him,  and  seized  him  by 
the  leg.  But  he  took  hold  of  the  wooden  leg.  As  soon  as  he 
felt  it  in  his  teeth,  he  stopped  short,  and,  giving  one  look  at 
the  man,  put  down  his  tail,  and  fled." 


THE   ICE    IS   SPLENDID." 


The  girls  all  laughed ;  and  Thistle,  who  hated  being  laughed 
at,  gave  a  growl  of  rage  and  mortification  from  under  the  sofa. 

"  What  I  came  up  for,"  said  Will,  "  was  to  say  that  it  is 
growing  warmer  every  minute,  and  does  not  seem  cold  at  all. 
The  ice  is  splendid." 

At  this  the  atlas  of  fishes  was  put  away  at  once,  and  the 
girls  hurried  to  get  on  their  wraps.  They  found  such  good  fun, 
that,  as  soon  as  dinner  was  over,  they  were  out  again.  Ned  dis 
covered  that  capital  coasting  could  be  had  from  the  top  of  the 
sand-hills  by  the  sea,  down  on  to  the  lake  ;  and  they  went  into 
this  with  such  vigor,  that  when  evening  came  they  were  all  tired 
enough,  and  glad  to  sit  quietly  before  the  blazing  fire  and  listen 
to  Gertrude  and  Tom. 


CHAPTER   X. 


"  AT  the  be 
ginning-  of  the 
seventeenth  cen 
tury,"  began  Ger 
trude,  "  England 
and  Holland  were 
doing  a  brisk 
trade  with  India. 
But  the  long 
voyag  e  around 
the  southern  ex 
tremity  of  Africa 
was  made  at  a 
very  great  e  x- 
pense,  and  many 
were  the  attempts 
to  find  some 
shorter  route.  The  world  was  not  then  so  well  known  as  it  is 
now,  and  some  people  thought  that  there  must  be  a  way  around 
the  north  of  either  Europe  or  America.  Many  expeditions  were 

made  to  those  icy  seas  to  find  this  unknown  passage. 
170 


AN   EARLY   NEW-YORK   HOUSE. 


THE  SEARCH  FOR  "CHINA   BEHIND  NORWAY."  17 1 

"  One  of  these  set  out  in  the  year  1609  from  Amsterdam. 
The  ship  was  '  The  Half- Moon.'  The  crew  were  Dutch ;  but  the 
commander  was  an  Englishman,  Henry  Hudson,  a  bold  and  in 
trepid  mariner.  He  was  to  search  for  the  passage  to  '  China 
behind  Norway.'  But,  when  he  had  got  far  to  the  north,  noth 
ing  lay  before  him  but  great  fields  of  ice ;  and  he  could  go  no 
farther.  He  did  not  give  up  his  quest,  however.  Turning 
about,  he  sailed  to  the  south-west,  and,  striking  the  American 
coast,  sailed  along  it,  looking  for  some  arm  of  the  sea  on  which 
he  could  sail  through  the  continent,  and  thus  reach  Asia  through 
America. 

"  At  last  he  thought  he  had  found  what  he  was  looking  for. 
One  warm  August  morning  he  came  to  anchor  at  a  spot  where 
the  ocean  ran  in  landward,  making  a  great  bay.  A  few  days 
later  he  pushed  on,  and  found  himself  in  an  inner  bay.  Before 
him  lay  a  mighty  river,  its  western  border  lined  by  rocky  pal;- 
sades;  while  on  its  other  side,  abreast  of  him,  lay  a  large  island. 
That  island  was  "  — 

"  New  York,"  interrupted  Jack   Hastings.     "  I   know  all   about 

that. 

'  Flow  fair  beside  the  Palisades,  —  flow,  Hudson,  fair  and  free, 
By  proud  Manhattan's  shore  of  ships  and  green  Hoboken's  tree : 
So  fair  yon  haven  clasped  its  isles,  in  such  a  sunset's  gleam, 
When  Hendrik  and  his  sea-worn  tars  first  sounded  up  the  stream, 
And  climbed  this  rocky  palisade,  and,  resting  on  its  brow, 
Passed  round  the  can,  and  gazed  a  while  on  shore  and  wave  below. 
And  Hendrik  drank  with  hearty  cheer,  and  loudly  then  cried  he, — 
"Tis  a  good  land  to  fall  in  with,  men,  and  a  pleasant  land  to  see.'" 

"  These    last    are    the    very  words    that   Hudson    used,"    said 


A    FAMOUS   DINNER. 


Jack,    stopping    to    take    breath ;    "  and    there    is    lots    more.      I 
learned  it  one  day  last  winter  when  I  was  at  home  with  a  cold." 

"  Well,  Hudson  thought,"  went  on  Gertrude,  "  that  surely 
here  was  the  way  to  the  South  Sea ;  for  such  a  vast  body  of 
water  could  not  be  a  river :  so  he  hoisted  sail  again,  and  pressed 
onward.  But  after  a  few  days'  voyage  he  found  that  the  water 

was  getting  shal 
low,  and  that  it 
was  not  safe  to 
continue.  So  he 
turned  about,  and 
sailed  back  again. 
The  Indians  came 
off  in  canoes,  and 
were  very  friend 
ly.  He  gave  them 
an  entertainment 
which  seemed  to 
them  so  magnifi 
cent,  that  the  tra 
dition  of  it  lasted 
among  the  tribes 
nearly  two  hun 
dred  years.  One  old  chief,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  took  such  a  fancy 
to  his  strong  water,  that  he  got  drunk.  His  fellows  had  never 
seen  any  one  in  such  case,  and  they  were  greatly  troubled.  They 
brought  various  magic  beads  to  break  the  spell  which  the  strangers 
had  cast  over  him.  But  when,  the  next  morning,  the  old  reprobate 


"THE  HALF-MOON"  IN  THE  HUDSON. 


HUDSON'S   MEN  MUTINY.  1/3 

came  to  himself,  and  said  that  he  had  had  a  good  time,  and  would 
like  to  try  it  again,  their  admiration  knew  no  bounds.  They  traded 
their  '  pompions '  with  great  joy ;  and  no  doubt  Hudson  and  his 
men  had  pumpkin-pie  to  their  hearts'  content. 

"  On  his  return  voyage,  Hudson  put  into  the  English  harbor 
of  Dartmouth.  Here  he  and  his  ship  were  seized  by  the  au 
thorities.  It  was  not  that  the  English  did  not  wish  the  Dutch 
to  profit  by  the  discovery  he  had  made,  —  they  thought  that  a 
matter  of  no  importance,  —  but  they  did  not  want  so  bold  a 
mariner  as  Hudson  to  be  in  the  Dutch  service  ;  for  perhaps 
he  might  discover  the  short  cut  to  India,  and  then  their  rivals 
would  gain  an  advantage  over  them.  So,  after  a  little,  they  let 
'The  Half-Moon'  go  on  to  her  port;  but  Hudson  was  bidden 
not  to  go  to  Holland.  And  in  this  way  the  Dutch  lost  his 
services." 

"  Did  he  never  go  back  to  New  York  ? " 

"  No,"  said  Gertrude :  "  he  came  to  his  death  two  or  three 
years  after,  and  a  fearful  death  it  was.  He  set  out  on  another 
voyage  to  discover  the  way  to  India  through  the  Arctic  Ocean. 
He  found  his  way  into  the  great  bay  named  after  him,  Hudson's 
Bay ;  and  there  he  passed  the  winter.  The  sufferings  of  all  were 
terrible.  Their  food  gave  out,  and  they  kept  alive  on  wild-fowl 
and  moss.  When  spring  came,  loosening  their  icy  fetters,  they 
made  their  way  to  the  open  sea.  But  mutiny  broke  out.  Hud 
son  and  his  son  and  seven  others  were  put  in  an  open  boat, 
cast  adrift,  and  left  to  perish  in  this  icy  waste.  Death,  no 
doubt,  soon  came  to  terminate  their  sufferings.  And  so  ended 
the  life  of  a  brave  man  and  a  hardy  manner.  One  of  the  crew,  t& 


174 


THEY  HAVE  A   HARD    TIME   OF  IT. 


his  great  honor  be  it 
told,  —  he  was  the  car 
penter,  Philip  Staffe, 
—  of  his  own  accord 
clambered  into  the 
boat  beside  his  com 
mander,  preferring  to 
die  with  him  than  to 
live  in  dishonor." 

"  I  hope  the  mu 
tineers  all  came  to 
grief,"  said  Ned. 

"  They  had  a  pretty 
hard  time  of  it,"  said 
Gertrude.  "  Five  died  : 
the  rest  had  to  live 
on  candle-grease,  and 
were  almost  dying, 
when  a  fishing-smack 
sighted  them,  and 
brought  them  into 
port. 

"Well,  the  Dutch 
did  not  make  any 
great  use  of  their  dis 
covery  of  the  Hudson 
River.  They  found 
the  trade  with  the 


HUDSON    TUT*    ADRIFT    BY    UTS    MTTTTNFFRS 


A   REDOUBTABLE  GOVERNOR.  177 

Indians  in  skins  very  profitable :  so  they  established  a  trading- 
fort  where  New  York  now  stands.  They  bought  the  whole 
island  from  the  Indians  for  twenty- four  dollars'  worth  of  beads 
and  other  trinkets. 

"  Gradually,  though  slowly,  a  little  settlement  grew  up  about 
this  trading-fort,  and  they  named  it  New  Amsterdam.  Other 
settlements  were  made  at  different  places  on  the  river,  and  in 
the  year  1633  the  governor  over  the  colony  was  Wouter  Van 
Twiller.  Gov.  Van  Twiller  was  a  curious  specimen.  He  was  a 
famous  hand  at  the  tankard ;  but  in  other  qualities  he  was  some 
what  deficient. 

"  It  was  the  great  aim  of  the  Dutch  to  keep  the  trade  of  the 
river  all  to  themselves,  and  thus  far  no  one  of  any  other  nation 
kad  ventured  to  enter  it.  What  was  Van  Twiller's  dismay,  then, 
one  day,  to  see  an  English  vessel  quietly  enter  the  bay,  and 
announce  its  intention  of  going  up  the  river  to  trade  with  the 
Indians !  The  governor  was  speechless  with  astonishment  and 
indignation.  He  ordered  the  gunner  to  spread  the  flag  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  to  salute  it  with  three  pieces  of  ordnance ; 
but,  to  his  surprise,  the  English,  instead  of  going  away  abashed 
at  this,  raised  the  flag  of  England,  saluted  it,  and  set  out  up 
the  river  to  trade. 

"  The  governor  saw  their  sails  fade  out  of  sight  with  incredu 
lous  surprise.  But  only  one  course  suggested  itself  to  him. 
Ordering  out  a  barrel  of  wine,  he  seized  his  glass,  and,  filling  it, 
shouted,  '  All  who  love  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  me,  emulate 
me  in  this,  and  assist  me  in  repelling  the  violence  of  this  Eng 
lishman  ! ' 


t?8  THE  COUNTRY  FULL   OF  FOOLS. 

"  De  Vries,  a  sea-captain  of  great  renown,  suggested  to  him, 
however,  another  course  of  action.  By  his  advice,  a  body  of 
men  were  sent  up  the,  river.  The  Englishman,  who  had  put  up 
a  tent  and  begun  to  trade,  was  driven  on  to  his  ship,  and 
brought  back  to  New  York,  where,  after  paying  sundry  fines,  he 
was  bidden  to  leave  with  all  speed,  and  never  return. 

"  But  this  great  victory  so  filled  the  redoubtable  Van  Twiller's 
head  with  pride  at  his  own  greatness,  that  when  De  Vries,  a 
little  later  on,  was  about  to  sail  in  his  own  vessel,  he  peremp 
torily  ordered  him  to  stop,  and  turned  the  guns  of  the  fort  upon 
the  ship.  Whereupon,  says  that  veteran,  '  I  ran  to  the  point  of 
land  where  Van  Twiller  stood  with  the  secretary  and  one  or  two 
of  the  council,  and  told  them  that  it  seemed  to  me  the  country 
was  full  of  fools.  If  they  must  fire  at  something,  they  ought  to 
have  fired  at  the  Englishman.'  After  this  plain  speaking  they 
made  him  no  further  trouble. 

"  Van  Twiller  was  not  stupid  only.  Grave  suspicions  as  to 
his  honesty  began  to  arise  ;  and  he  was  presently  ignominiously 
removed,  and  a  new  man  appointed  in  his  stead. 

"  New  Amsterdam  had  now  begun  to  grow  a  little.  The 
quaint  houses  were  built  after  the  fashion  of  those  in  Holland, 
with  sharp  gables.  Many  were  only  one  story  high,  and  they 
were  scattered  about  here  and  there  with  paths  winding  in  and 
out  among  them.  This  is  the  reason  that  so  many  of  the 
streets  down  town  are  so  crooked.  They  have  never  been 
straightened  since  the  Dutch  days.  There  is  an  old  contract  still 
in  existence  for  a  house  which  was  to  be  thirty  feet  long,  eigh 
teen  feet  wide,  and  eight  feet  high.  It  was  to  cost  one  hundred 


A   SLAAP-BANCK. 


179 


and  forty  dollars. 
It  was  further 
stipulated  that  it 
was  to  contain  a 
slaap-banck." 

"What  in  the 
world  is  a  slaap- 
banck  ? "  asked 
Rose. 

"A  bedstead," 
said  Gertrude. 
"  It  was  built 
against  the  wall, 
and  had  doors  in 
front  like  a  cup 
board,  so  that  in 
the  daytime  it 
could  be  shut  up 
out  of  sight. 
The  sleepy 
Dutchman,  who 
decided  to  go 
to  bed,  knocked 
the  ashes  out  of 
his  pipe,  opened 
the  doors,  and 
climbed  in.  Un 
der  him  was  a  feather-bed,  and  over  him  he  spread  another ; 


i8o 


JACK  INTERRUPTS  AGAIN. 


and  soon  he  was  far  away  from  New  Amsterdam,  in  the  land  of 
dreams. 

"  Well,  the  town  continued  to  grow.  Dutch,  English,  French, 
all  lived  in  harmony  together.  A  new  governor  came,  and  an 
old  one  went,  till  Peter  Stuyvesant  was  appointed  to  that  office. 
He  planted  on  his  farm,  in  the  Bowery,  a  pear-tree  that  stood 
for  more  than  two  hundred  years,  till  the  Bouerie  farm  was 
covered  with  blocks  of  houses." 

"  It's  lucky  little  George  Wash 
ington  didn't  visit  New  York  with 
his  hatchet,"  said  Jack :  "  he  would 
have  had  that  pear-tree  down  in  no- 
time." 

"  Don't  interrupt,  Jack, "  said 
Gertrude.  "  Well,  one  day  Stuy 
vesant  was  told  that  some  English 
men-of-war  were  off  the  coast,  in 
tending  to  capture  the  place.  Before 
he  could  do  any  thing  to  strengthen 
it,  the  mouths  of  sixty  cannons  were 
pointed  at  the  town.  He  had  but 
twenty  guns ;  but  he  made  up  his 
He  was  at  his  station  in  the  fort, 
stumping  about  on  his  wooden  leg,  and  the  gunners  had  their 
matches  burning,  when  a  deputation  from  the  town  demanded 
that  he  surrender.  Half  of  the  townsfolk  were  English,  and 
welcomed  the  invaders.  There  was  not  the  slightest  hope,  they 
said,  of  holding  the  town.  They  had  not  even  powder  enough 


PETER  STUYVESANT. 


mind  to  fight  till  the   last. 


THE    WHITE  FLAG  RAISED. 


181 


to  fight  for  more  than  a  few  hours.  The  old  man  read  their 
demand  with  a  face 
pale  with  mortifica 
tion.  '  I  had  rather 
be  carried  to  my 
grave,'  he  said. 
The  white  flag  was 
raised,  and  New 
Amsterdam  became 
New  York." 

"  But  what  right 
had  the  English  to 
take  it? "asked Ned. 

"  None  at  all," 
answered  Gertrude. 
"  They  were  then 
at  peace  with  the 
Dutch  States ;  and 
the  whole  thing  was 
managed  so  that 
their  intention 
should  not  be 
known  in  time  for 
them  to  take  any 


measures    to    p r e- 

Vent   it."  PETER  STUYVESANT'S  PEAR-TREE. 

"And  did  Holland  submit  quietly?" 

"  By    no    mftans.     War   was    declared    against    England.     The 


\ 

182  THE  KING   ON  HORSEBACK. 

Dutch  fleets  were  so  successful,  that  they  destroyed  the  English 
navy ;  and  the  people  of  London  trembled  to  hear  their  enemy's 
guns  only  a  few  miles  away,  where,  at  Chatham,  they  were  burn 
ing  the  English  ships  and  naval  stores.  When  the  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed,  England  was  allowed  to  keep  New  York ;  but 
yielded,  in  place  of  it,  three  colonies  that  were  considered  vastly 
more  important. 

"  And  that  is  the  way,"  said  Gertrude,  "  that  New  York  be 
came  English." 

After  they  had  talked  over  what  Gertrude  had  told  them  for 
a  little,  they  all  turned  to  Tom  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say. 

"  When  the  news  of  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  reached 
New  York,"  he  began,  "  a  number  of  patriots  met  together, 
formed  an  association,  and  called  themselves  the  Sons  of  Liberty. 
How  they  treated  the  stamped  paper,  and  how  they  wet  down 
the  tea  that  came  over,  Ned  told  us  a  night  or  two  ago.  Not 
a  penny's  worth  of  either  ever  got  into  circulation. 

"  After  a  time  came  the  news  that  the  Stamp  Act  was  re 
pealed.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  were  overjoyed  at  finding  the  king^ 
so  prompt  to  listen  to  their  complaints ;  and,  in  an  excess  of 
patriotism,  they  cast  a  statue  of  him  in  lead,  and  set  it  up  in 
the  Bowling  Green.  It  was  very  fine.  The  king  was  on  horse 
back,  life-size :  on  his  head  was  a  crown,  while  one  hand  held  in 
a  prancing  steed.  But  the  statue  did  not  stay  there  many  years. 
What  became  of  it  you  will  learn  a  little  later. 

"  It  was  hardly  settled  on  its  base  when  the  loyal  feelings 
that  raised  it  received  a  shock.  News  came  that  Parliament, 
enraged  at  the  disturbances  about  the  stamped  paper,  had  passed 


KING  SEARS  IS  ARRESTED.  183 

a  law  called  the  Mutiny  Act,  stationing  British  troops  in  the  prin 
cipal  cities  of  America ;  and  that  a  regiment  was  on  the  ocean, 
on  its  way  to  them.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  were  aroused  and 
indignant.  They  declared  that  the  troops  should  not  land ;  but 
they  could  not  prevent  it.  As  a  relief  to  their  feelings,  they 
erected  on  the  Common  a  great  liberty-pole.  The  soldiers  pres 
ently  cut  it  down ;  but  the  people  set  up  another :  and  in  this 
way  there  began  to  be  bad  blood  between  them. 

"  About  this  time  Gen.  Gage  was  fortifying  Boston  Neck. 
He  wanted  lumber  for  his  barracks,  and  men  to  build  them. 
But  the  sturdy  Bostonians  would  furnish  neither.  So  he  sent  to 
New  York  for  help.  The  Sons  of  Liberty  heard  that  a  sloop 
was  about  to  sail  well  loaded.  They  declared  that  it  should  not 
leave  port.  Isaac  Sears,  who,  from  the  influence  that  he  had, 
was  known  as  King  Sears,  urged  the  people  to  arm.  For  this 
he  was  arrested  for  treason. 

"  The  very  afternoon  of  his  arrest,  a  horseman  entered  New 
York,  breathless  with  haste,  and  jaded  with  hard  riding.  He 
bore  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington.  The  people  were 
wild  with  excitement  and  anger.  Led  by  Marinus  Willett,  they 
rescued  Sears  from  the  authorities,  and,  marching  to  the  arsenal 
in  a  body,  seized  six  hundred  stands  of  arms.  The  next  day 
every  ship  in  the  harbor  was  visited  by  a  committee,  who  used 
arguments  of  such  weight,  that  not  a  vessel  went  to  the  help  of 
Gage. 

"The  British  regiment  was  at  once  ordered  to  Boston.  The 
men  left  their  barracks,  and  marched  to  the  wharf  to  embark. 
Marinus  Willett  noticed  that  they  were  taking  with  them  several 


1 84  SIX  HUNDRED  MUSKETS. 

carts  loaded  with  extra  arms.  Rousing  his  fellows,  he  set  out  in 
pursuit,  and,  seizing  the  bridles  of  the  horses,  captured  all  these 
loads." 

"Why  didn't  the  soldiers  interfere?"  asked  Jack. 

"  They  were  just  about  to  leave  the  city,  and  probably  the 
officers  thought  that  the  arms  were  not  worth  the  fight  that 
would  be  sure  to  follow.  You  must  remember  that  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  had  captured  six  hundred  muskets  a  few  days  before, 
and  so  could  speedily  arm  themselves.  At  all  events,  the  British 
lost  the  guns  ;  and  a  little  later  they  did  good  service  in  a  regi 
ment  in  the  Continental  army,  which  Willett  commanded.  Wil- 
lett  won  a  great  reputation  as  a  fighter,  particularly  from  the 
Indians,  whom  the  British  roused  to  attack  the  settlers.  Among 
them  he  went  under  the  name  of  '  The  Devil.' 

"During  the  winter  of  1775-6  Washington  sent  Gen.  Lee 
with  a  body  of  men  to  occupy  New  York.  There  were  no  Brit 
ish  troops  in  the  city ;  but  a  man-of-war,  '  The  Asia,'  lay  in  the 
harbor.  The  Tories  besought  Lee  not  to  enter  the  city,  for  fear 
that  'The  Asia'  would  bombard  it.  But  he  paid  small  attention 
to  any  such  suggestions.  '  If  the  ships  of  war  are  quiet,'  he 
said,  '  I  shall  be  quiet.  If  they  make  my  presence  a  pretext  for 
firing  on  the  town,  the  first  house  set  in  flames  by  their  guns 
shall  be  the  funeral  pile  of  some  of  their  best  friends.' 

"  The  spring  following,  after  the  British  were  driven  out  of 
Boston,  Washington  hurried  to  New  York,  and  began  to  fortify 
the  city,  and  put  into  shape  her  straggling  army.  Lord  Howe, 
the  British  commander,  soon  after  arrived  in  the  harbor,  having 
under  him  thirty  thousand  men.  These  he  landed  on  Staten 


SEIZING   BRITISH   ARMS. 


THIRTY-SIX  THOUSAND   CARTRIDGES.  187" 

Island,  and  both  sides  took  a  long  breath  before  the  struggle 
that  was  before  them.  In  this  lull  there  came  from  Congress 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The  troops  were  drawn  up  on. 
the  Common,  where  the  City  Hall  now  stands,  in  a  hollow  square, 
to  hear  it. 

"  Standing  in  their  midst  was  Washington,  and  by  his  side 
an  aide,  who  read  it  aloud  in  a  clear  voice.  The  listening  Sons 
of  Liberty  thronging  about  heard  it  with  joy.  Rushing  to  the 
Bowling  Green,  they  tore  down  the  statue  of  the  king,  and 
hacked  it  in  pieces.  Lead  was  scarce,  and  bullets  were  needed. 
Out  of  it  were  made  cartridges ;  and  these  are  the  names  of  the 
brave  women  who  did  the  work :  Mrs.  Marvin  made  6,058 ; 
Laura  Marvin,  8,370;  Ruth  Marvin,  11,592;  Mary  Marvin,  10,790. 
The  British,  as  some  one  at  the  time  said,  had  melted  majesty 
fired  at  them. 

"  Presently  the  Englishmen  crossed  to  Long  Island,  and  the 
Americans  met  them  in  a  bloody  battle  where  Brooklyn  now 
stands.  It  was  a  sad  day  for  our  fathers,  and  many  a  sturdy 
patriot  fell.  For  years  the  farmers  would  plough  up  skulls  still 
showing  the  holes  that  the  British  bullets  had  made.  The 
Americans  were  defeated,  and  driven  back  to  the  river.  The 
English  followed,  hemming  them  in.  and  sure  that  they  could 
not  elude  them.  But  in  the  night  came  up  a  greaJ  fog ;  and, 
under  cover  of  it,  the  nine  thousand  Americans  crossed  the 
river  in  small  boats  to  New  York,  and  escaped.  When  th^  fog 
lifted,  the  chagrined  conquerors  saw  their  foe  just  across  the 
river,  marching  up  from  the  ferry  in  safety. 

"It  is   said   that   a  woman    living   near  sent   her  slave   in   the 


i88 


A    WOMAN'S  EXPEDIENT. 


middle  of  the  night  to  the  British  to  tell  them  what  the  Ameri 
cans  were  doing. 
He,  however,  fell 
in  with  a  Hessian 
sentinel  who  could 
not  understand 
him  ;  and,  when  at 
last  the  message 
was  known,  it  was 
too  late. 

"  It  was  now 
seen  that  New  York 
could  not  be  held  ; 
and  Washington 
retreated  from  the 
city,  leaving  only 
four  thousand  men 
under  Gen.  Put 
nam.  These  would 
have  all  been  cap 
tured,  but  for  a 
woman's  clever 
ness.  This  was  how 
it  happened  :  Put 
nam  was  stationed 
near  the  Battery, 
when  the  British  suddenly  crossed  from  Brooklyn  to  where  now  is 
the  foot  of  Thirty-fourth  Street.  They  were  in  great  force  ;  and 


MRS.  MURRAY  ENTERTAINS  THE  BRITISH. 


they  marched  at  once  across  the  fields  towards  the  centre  of  the 
island,  thus  closing  the  two  roads  of  exit  from  the  city.  One  of 
these  ran  along  the  East  River,  and  the  other  along  the  centre 
of  the  island.  As  Gen.  Howe,  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  reached 
the  crest  of  the  hill,  they  came  to  the  fine  old  mansion  of  Robert 
Murray.  Murray  himself  was  a  Tory  ;  but  his  wife  and  daughters 
were  stanch  patriots.  From  the  second-story  windows  of  their 
house  they  had  seen  the  dust  arising  from  a  half-known  lane 
between  them  and  the  Hudson,  and  now  and  then  a  flash  of 
bayonets  marked  where  Putnam's  troops  were  hurrying  northward 
to  escape.  Should  the  British  see  them,  they  were  lost. 

"  Mrs.  Murray,  with  her  daughters  beside  her,  stood  at  her 
gate  as  the  English  drew  near. 

"  '  William,'  she  said  to  Lord  Howe  in  her  quiet  Quaker 
way,  '  will  thee  alight,  and  refresh  thyself  at  our  house  ?  ' 

"  '  I  thank  you,  Mrs.  Murray,'  said  the  Englishman  ;  '  but  I 
must  first  catch  that  rascally  Yankee  Putnam.' 

"  '  Didst  thou  not  hear,'  said  Mrs.  Murray,  '  that  Putnam  had 
gone  ?  It  is  late  to  try  to  catch  him.  Thee  had  better  come  in 
and  dine.' 

"  Howe  yielded  to  her  entreaties,  and,  with  his  chief  officers, 
dismounted.  Mrs.  Murray  and  her  daughters  never  so  exerted 
themselves  before.  It  was  two  hours  before  the  officers  left,  and 
by  that  time  Putnam  was  safe." 

"  How  proud  she  must  have  been  !  "  said  Rose. 

"  Her  stratagem  was  known  at  once  among  the  Americans," 
said  Tom;  "and  the  soldiers  all  said  that  Mrs.  Murray  had  saved 
Putnam's  division. 


192 


CROWDED  PRISONS  AND  DYING  PRISONERS. 


"  The  British  met  with  continued  success  after  this.  They 
took  several  thousand  prisoners,  and  these  they  treated  with 
great  brutality.  They  were  crowded  into  churches  and  sugar- 
houses,  and  old  hulks  anchored  in  the  bay.  It  makes  one's 

blood  boil  to  think 
how  they  were 
starved  and  killed 
just  through  pure 
wickedness  on  the 
part  of  their  captors. 
You  can  fancy  the 
treatment  they  re 
ceived,  from  the  fact 
that  in  three  weeks 
more  than  seventeen 
hundred  died." 

"  Those  were  in 
deed  dark  days  for 
the  patriots,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  Defeat 
came  after  defeat. 
The  British  seized  all 


New- York  Island,  and 
overran   New  Jersey. 


A   SUGAR-HOUSE   USED  AS   PRISON. 


Among  their  troops  were  many  Hessians,  German  mercenaries  who 
had  been  hired  by  the  English  king.  Their  foraging  parties  scoured 
the  country,  stealing  alike  from  friend  and  foe,  and  making  the 
farmers  drag  with  their  teams  the  food  which  had  been  stolen  from 


A    FORAGIN7G   PARTY. 


A   BOLD    WOMAN. 


195 


under  their  very  eyes.  Happy  was  the  man  who  got  away  from 
camp  without  having  his  horses  seized.  I  have  heard  my  great- 
grandmother  say,"  he  went  on,  "  that  when  her  husband,  who  was 
an  officer  in  the  army,  ventured  home  for  a  visit,  she  always  put 
his  horse  in  the  house ;  and  many  and  many  was  the  time  when 
she  seized  her  baby  under  her  arm,  and  hid  in  a  deep  swamp 
close  at  hand,  while  the  foragers  pillaged  the  house." 

"  She  must  have 
been  almost  as  brave 
as  my  great-grand 
mother,"  said  Jack  ad 
miringly. 

"  It  was  not  till 
Christmas  Day,"  Mr. 
Longwood  went  on, 
"  that  a  change  came. 
Did  you  ever  hear  this 
old  ballad?"  he  said, 
going  to  the  shelves, 
and  taking  down  a 
book.  It  was  written  at  the  time,  though  it  is  not  known  by 
whom,  and  well  describes  what  took  place.  The  victory  of  which 
it  tells  put  great  courage  into  all  the  patriots,  and  the  cause  of 
liberty  grew  stronger  at  once. 

"  Here  it  is:  — 


THE   PRISON    HULK   "JERSEY." 


ig6  AN  OLD  BALLAD. 


'BATTLE  OF  TRENTON. 

ON  Christmas  Day  in  seventy-six, 

Our  ragged  troops,  with  bayonets  fixed, 

For  Trenton  marched  away. 
The  Delaware  see,  the  boats  below, 
The  light  obscured  by  hail  and  snow, 

But  no  signs  of  dismay. 

Our  object  was  the  Hessian  band, 
That  dared  invade  fair  Freedom's  land, 

And  quarter  in  that  place. 
Great  Washington  he  led  us  on, 
Whose  streaming  flag,  in  storm  or  sun, 

Had  never  known  disgrace. 

In  silent  march  we  passed  the  night, 
Each  soldier  panting  for  the  fight, 

Though  quite  benumbed  with  frost. 
Greene,  on  the  left,  at  six  began : 
The  right  was  led  by  Sullivan, 

Who  ne'er  a  moment  lost. 

Their  pickets  stormed,  the  alarm  was  spread, 
That  rebels  risen  from  the  dead 

Were  marching  into  town. 
Some  scampered  here,  some  scampered  there; 
And  some  for  action  did  prepare, 

But  soon  their  arms  laid  down. 


BATTLE   OF  TRENTON. 


197 


Twelve  hundred  servile  miscreants, 
With  all  their  colors,  guns,  and  tents, 

Were  trophies  of  the  day. 
The  frolic  o'er,  the  bright  canteen 
In  centre,  front,  and  rear  was  seen, 

Driving  fatigue  away. 


Now,  brothers  of  the  patriot  bands, 
Let's  sing  deliverance  from  the  hands 

Of  arbitrary  sway ; 
And,  as  our  life  is  but  a  span, 
Let's  touch  the  tankard  while  we  can 

In  memory  of  that  day.'  '' 


CHAPTER   XL 


SUNDAY  morning  dawned 
bright  and  fair.  Out  of 
doors  the  sun  flashed  and 
blazed  on  the  smooth  sur 
face  of  the  lake ;  and  the 
breath  of  Tom  and  Rose, 
as  they  stood  for  a  moment 
on  the  piazza,  went  up  in 
little  clouds  of  frozen  vapor, 
that  made  Jack,  who  was 
watching  them,  say  that  they 
were  like  two  steaming  tea 
kettles. 

"  What  a  jolly  season 
winter  is ! "  said  Tom. 
"  There  is  no  time  of  the 
year  like  it." 

"Oh!  do  you  think  so?" 
said  Rose.  "  Spring  is  the 
season  for  me,  when  the  first  buds  begin  to  swell,  and  the 

dandelions  come."     And  she  broke  out  singing, — 
198 


JACK   TAKES  A   NAP.  199 


Through  the  gray  April  clouds 

A  burst  of  sunshine  came, 
Lighting  the  shoots  of  timid  grass 

With  a  sheet  of  golden  flame ; 
And  every  struggling  bud  fresh  courage  took; 
A  softer  ripple  laughed  the  little  brook. 

The  clouds  have  shut  again : 

No  more  the  clear  blue  sky ; 
But,  scattered  through  the  tender  grass, 

The  sunbeams  tangled  lie. 

No  sunbeams  these  that  cease  when  clouds  incline : 
T^hey  are  —  they  are  the  golden  dandelion  ! 

Our  whole  party  went  to  church  in  the  morning  in  a  body. 
As  they  were  much  too  numerous  to  sit  together,  they  divided 
up  into  little  parties  of  twos  and  threes.  Jack  found  his  old 
friend  George  Washington,  who  took  him  into  his  own  pew ; 
and  so  much  at  home  did  he  feel,  that,  before  the  minister 
had  fairly  got  under  way  with  his  sermon,  he  had  gone  to  sleep, 
with  his  head  on  George  Washington's  arm.  All  their  new 
acquaintances  of  the  past  week  were  about  them,  from  the  man 
who  took  them  into  town  on  the  wood-sled  to  the  driver  who 
had  piloted  them  in  their  expedition  to  the  Shinnecocks.  This 
latter  man  Jack  discovered  all  at  once  in  the  choir.  He  had  his 
mouth  wide  open,  and  was  rolling  out,  in  a  voice  that  seemed 
to  come  from  way  down  in  his  boots, 

"  Broad  is  the  road  that  leads  to  death ; " 

but,  at  sight  of  Jack's  big  eyes  looking  at  him,  he  broke  out 
into  a  grin  not  at  all  in  keeping  with  the  gloomy  words  he 
was  singing. 


200  THOMAS  JOHN'S  TOBOGAN. 

After  the  last  hymn  had  been  sung,  and  the  service  was 
over,  the  boys  gathered  around  George  Washington. 

"  The  judge  seemed  a  trifle  sleepy  this  morning,"  said  he, 
smiling  at  Jack. 

"  We  have  been  going  so  hard  all  the  week,"  said  Will, 
"  that  I  don't  wonder  at  it.  I  felt  sleepy  myself." 

"  I  noticed  you  were  coasting  on  the  sand-hills,"  said  George 
Washington.  "Did  you  ever  see  a  tobogan?" 

"One  of  those  Canada  things?"  asked  Will.  "I  have  seen 
pictures  of  them." 

"  Well,"  said  George  Washington,  "  Thomas  John  Wilsey, 
over  by  North  Sea,  has  made  one.  He  read  somewhere  about 
it,  and  saw  a  picture,  and  went  to  work  to  copy  it.  I  saw  him 
this  morning,  and  he  said  he  had  just  finished  it." 

"I  wonder  if  he'd  let  us  try  it,"  said  Tom. 

"  Oh,  yes !  I  know  he  would,"  said  George  Washington. 
"  And  the  hills  over  by  his  house  are  high  ;  so  that  you  could 
have  prime  fun." 

"Oh,  jolly!"  said  all  the  boys  together.  "Let's  ask  Mr. 
Longwood  if  we  can't  have  the  big  sleigh,  and  go  to-morrow 
afternoon.  What  larks  it  would  be !  " 

Mr.  Longwood  gave  assent  at  once ;  and  Jack,  fearful  that 
something  might  happen  to  change  his  mind,  ran  after  the 
driver,  who  was  walking  down  the  village  street  with  a  young 
woman,  to  tell  him  to  be  sure  to  have  the  four  horses  and  the 
sleigh  at  the  house  at  two  o'clock  the  next  day,  without  fail. 

The  rest  of  Sunday  was  passed  very  quietly.  In  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon,  the  boys,  with  Mr.  Longwood,  went  off  for  an 


OFF  FOR  NORTH  SEA.  2OI 


hour's  walk ;  while  the  girls  went  to  the  beach,  and  watched  the 
surf  thundering  on  the  sand.  Soon  after  supper,  Charlie  Morgan 
announced,  with  a  yawn,  that  he  thought  he  would  go  to  his 
"  slaap-banck."  "  To-morrow,  you  know,  is  our  last  day  here," 
he  said ;  "so  that  we  must  be  all  fresh  for  the  morning." 

The  rest  of  the  young  folk  seemed  to  find  his  example 
contagious;  and,  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than  usual,  the  parlor 
was  left  alone,  with  no  one  but  the  sleepily  blinking  fire  to  keep 
it  company. 

The  next  day  was,  in  point  of  weather,  all  that  could  be 
desired.  Punctually  at  two,  just  as  dinner  was  being  finished, 
the  sleigh  arrived.  Girls,  boys,  and  dogs  hurried  into  it  with  a 
rush,  and  off  they  went.  What  a  delight  it  was  to  sit  still,  and 
be  whirled  along !  From  breakfast  till  dinner  they  had  skated 
almost  without  stopping,  so  that  sitting  still  was  quite  a  luxury. 
The  sleighing  was  perfect,  and  it  appeared  as  if  all  the  world 
were  out  to  enjoy  it.  Every  now  and  then  a  swift  flying  cutter 
met  them ;  and  at  the  village  post-office,  where  they  halted  for 
the  mail,  it  seemed,  now  that  the  loud  jingle  of  their  own  bells 
had  stopped,  as  if  the  whole  air  was  full  of  the  melody  of 
distant  chimes. 

As  they  went  on  toward  North  Sea,  the  face  of  the  country 
changed.  They  found  themselves  among  hills,  with  oak-woods 
all  about  them ;  while  every  now  and  then  a  snug  farm-house 
came  into  view,  and  went  quickly  out  of  sight  behind. 

They  met  fewer  people,  for  it  was  a  rather  lonely  road ;  though 
at  one  place  they  had  to  draw  to  one  side  to  let  pass  two  stalwart 
horses  with  a  heavy  load  of  wood.  Their  driver  walked  beside 


202  THOMAS  JOHN'S  MOTHER. 

them,  and  he  had  a  whip  that  he  cracked  like  a  pistol.  At  last, 
after  an  hour  or  so,  their  own  driver  announced  to  Jack  that  the 
house  to  which  they  were  going  was  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill 
just  before  them ;  and  a  moment  later  they  drove  in  through  an 
open  gate,  and  reined  up  just  under  an  overhanging  shed. 

"  I'll  just  make  fast  the  horses,  and  blanket  them,"  said  he  as 
they  scrambled  out,  "  and  then  I'll  hunt  up  Thomas  John  and  the 
tobogan."  So,  the  fastening  and  blanketing  being  soon  accom 
plished,  he  advanced  to  the  side-door  of  the  house.  A  trim- 
looking  woman  with  gray  hair  opened  it. 

"Thomas  John  at  home?"  asked  the  driver. 

"  No,  Thomas  John's  gone  away  east,"  said  the  woman. 

"I  brought  over  a  party  to  see  his  tobogan,"  said  the  driver; 
"  and  I  thought  perhaps  he'd  let  them  try  it." 

"La  sakes ! "  said  the  woman,  "you're  welcome  to  take  the 
critter:  it's  out  in  the  barn.  I  don't  take  no  stock  in  it  myself; 
and  I  reckon  Thomas  John  don't  so  much  as  he  did,  sence  this 
morning." 

"Why,  how's  that?"  said  the  driver. 

"  Well,"  said  the  woman,  "  I  see  him  going  off  toward  the 
hill  with  the  critter  this  morning ;  and  I  didn't  like  the  looks  of 
it  nohow,  and  I  told  him  so  :  but  young  men  know  much  more 
than  their  mothers  nowadays,  and  he  only  laughed.  Well,  about 
half  an  hour  later,  Thomas  John  he  put  his  head  into  the 
kitchen-door,  and  says  he,  '  Mother,  I  want  a  piece  of  raw  pork.' 

"  '  La  sakes ! '  says  I.  '  Thomas  John,  I  can't  take  my  hands 
-out  of  this  batch  of  bread.  What  do  you  want  raw  pork  for?' 

"  '  I  kind  o'  bruised  my  head,'  says  he. 


THE   TEAMSTER    WITH    THE    WHIP. 


THE  DRIVER   OFFERS   TO  SACRIFICE  HIMSELF.  205 

"'With  that  I  looked  up;  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  a  big 
lump  over  his  eye :  so  I  bound  it  up  in  pork,  and  it  came  down 
some.  But  the  last  thing  I  says  to  him  when  he  went  off  this 
afternoon,  'Thomas  John,'  says  I,  'be  sure  you  don't  turn  the 
north  side  of  your  face  to  any  one  you  meet,  or  they'll  think 
you've  been  drinking.' " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  who  had  drawn  near  and  heard 
the  conversation,  "  that  doesn't  look  as  if  it  would  be  very  safe 
for  boys  and  girls ;  does  it  ?  " 

"Oh!  I'll  try  it  first,"  said  the  driver  cheerfully,  "and  then 
we  can  see  if  there  is  any  danger." 

So  off  they  all  tramped  to  the  barn,  and  then,  trailing  the 
tobogan  after  them,  to  the  top  of  the  hill.  Two  of  the  girls  sat 
on  it,  and  the  boys  gallantly  offered  to  drag  them  all :  but  it  was 
pretty  hard  work ;  and  they  were  not  sorry  when  they  changed 
their  minds,  and  said  they  would  rather  walk. 

When  they  had  all  reached  the  hill-top,  the  driver  pulled  the 
tobogan  around  into  position,  and  took  his  seat.  "  Pshaw ! "  he 
said,  "  it's  nothing  but  plain  sailing.  I  never  did  think  Thomas 
John  any  great  shakes  anyway."  And,  giving  himself  a  push  with 
his  hands,  off  he  went. 

Did  any  of  you  young  people  ever  see  a  tobogan  ?  If  you 
have  not,  you  will  get  a  good  idea  of  it  from  the  picture.  It  is 
simply  a  long  board  turned  up  at  the  end,  and  braced  with  cross- 
pieces.  The  rider  sits  on  it,  guiding  it  by  moving  his  body  or 
by  his  hands.  If  you  have  ever  tried  one,  you  will  not  be  at  all 
surprised  to  learn,  that,  before  the  driver  had  gone  two  hundred 
feet,  the  tobogan,  instead  of  going  on  straight  as  when  he  started, 


206 


THE  FIRST  ATTEMPT. 


began  to  swerve  more  and 
more  to  one  side.  Its  rider's 
movements  grew  wilder  and 
wilder  as  he  tried  to  get  its 
head  about  again.  But  it  was 
of  no  use :  the  frantic  tobogan 
went  more  and  more  sideways. 
How  it  would  have  ended,  I 
cannot  say :  but  all  at  once 
the  driver  threw  himself  off 
into  the  snow ;  and,  the  rope 
catching  on  his  leg,  a  sudden, 
effectual  stoppage  was  made. 
As  for  the  boys,  who  were 
looking  on,  they  were  wild 
with  delight.  They  shouted 


and  laughed  about  the  man, 
while  he  unbuttoned  his  coat, 
and  tried  vainly  to  get  out 
about  a  quart  of  snow  which 
had  been  forced  inside  of  his 
collar ;  and  they  were  in  a 
state  of  hilarious  glee  when  he 
announced  that  it  was  melting, 
and  trickling  down  his  back. 


PERHAPS   THOMAS  JOHN  WAS  NOT  A   FOOL, 


207 


"  Well,"  he  said  after  a  little, 
during  which  time  he  had 
squirmed  about  in  his  clothes 
as  he  felt  the  icy  stream  down 
his  spine,  "  here  goes  for  it 
again.  Perhaps  Thomas  John 
was  not  such  a  fool  as  I  took 
him  for." 

This  time  he  set  out  much 
more  carefully.  Away  he  flew, 
straight  as  an  arrow.  "Hurrah!" 
shouted  Jack :  "  he's  got  the 
hang  of  it  now.  Next  time 
I'm  going  down  behind  him." 


But  the  words  were  hardly  out 
of  his  mouth  when  they  saw  a 
strange  sight.  Half  way  down 
the  hill  was  a  slight  ridge,  or 
thank-you-ma'am  as  the  country- 
people  call  it.  Over  this  the 
tobogan  shot ;  but,  as  it  did  so, 
its  rider  flew  into  the  air,  the 
long  tail  of  his  cap  streaming 
above  him.  He  came  down  very 
quickly,  but  not  soon  enough 
to  catch  the  tobogan,  which 


208  DOUGHNUTS  IN  VIEW. 


leaped  onward  from  under  him,  leaving  him  at  full  length  on  his 
back  on  the  snow,  while  it  made  the  rest  of  the  journey  to  the 
foot  of  the  hill  alone. 

The  boys  ran  after  it,  and  slowly  brought  it  back,  while  the 
disappointed  toboganist  made  his  way  after  them. 

"  I  think  it's  pretty  evident,  girls,"  said  Carrie,  "  that  we  shall 
not  do  much  coasting  on  that  sled  this  afternoon.  I,  for  one, 
have  no  fancy  for  having  icy  waterfalls  down  my  back,  nor  for 
shooting  into  the  air  like  a  rocket.  Nor  do  I  want  to  go  back 
to  New  York  with  a  piece  of  raw  pork  on  the  north  side  of  my 
face.  So  I  move  we  go  down  and  pay  a  visit  to  Thomas  John's 
mother,  —  I'm  half  frozen  standing  here,  —  and  there  we  can  sit 
by  the  fire." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  other  girls.     "  Let's  have  a  race." 

"  She's  a  powerful  hand  at  making  doughnuts,  is  Thomas 
John's  mother,"  said  the  driver.  "  If  you  manage  right,  perhaps 
she'll  give  you  some." 

"  We'll  try  to  manage  right,  then,"  said  Carrie.  "  When  will 
you  all  be  back  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  the  driver,  "I  don't  like  to  give  in  beat  by  an 
old  board.  —  If  you  are  not  in  a  great  hurry,"  turning  to  Mr. 
Longwood,  "  I'd  like  to  have  another  try  at  the  old  thing." 

"Oh!  by  all  means,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "We'll  be  back  by 
and  by,  girls.  We  won't  go  home  without  you  :  don't  be  afraid." 

"  Please  don't  start  the  tobogan  till  we  get  down  the  hill  and 
over  the  fence  ;  will  you  ? "  said  Carrie. 

"  Why,  I've  not  been  coasting  in  the  direction  you  are  going 
at  all,"  said  the  driver. 


A   MAN  OF  ONE  IDEA.  209 

"Nevermind,"  said  Carrie:  "it  may  turn  around  the  hill,  and 
chase  us,  for  all  I  know." 

"All  right,"  laughed  the  man:    "I'll  wait." 

So  the  girls  set  out.  Thomas  John's  mother  seemed  delight 
ed  to  see  them.  She  gave  them  chairs  by  the  fire,  and  asked 
them  all  sorts  of  questions  about  their  relations,  and  what  their 
fathers  "followed  for  a  living,"  and  "whether  any  of  them  had 
been  summer  stoppers  ; "  and  told  them  no  end  of  things  about 
Thomas  John,  who  was  evidently  perfect  in  her  eyes.  And,  to 
crown  it  all,  she  brought  in  a  great  pitcher  of  milk  and  a  heaping 
plate  of  those  doughnuts  that  they  had  heard  about ;  and  the 
girls  did  not  care  how  long  the  boys  stayed  away. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  hill-top,  the  tobogan  was  once  more  in 
position,  and  the  driver  was  about  to  take  his  seat. 

"  Perhaps  you'd  like  to  try  it  yourself,  sir,"  he  said  to  Mr. 
Longwood. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  that  gentleman.     "  I'll  watch  you." 

"  I  think  I  know  what  my  mistake  was,"  said  the  driver.  "  I 
ought  to  have  held  on  over  that  hummock.  We'll  see  how  it 
works  that  way." 

This  time  he  did  hold  on,  and  the  hummock  was  passed 
beautifully.  As  he  went  flying  on,  he  loosed  one  hand  for  a 
moment  to  wave  it  triumphantly,  and  then  seized  tight  hold 
once  more.  But  what  happened  afterward  showed  what  a  mis 
take  it  is  to  be  a  man  of  one  idea.  He  was  so  intent  on 
holding  on,  that  he  forgot  to  steer.  On  he  flew  with  head 
down. 

Close    to   the   road,    at   the   very   foot   of   the    hill,    stood    the 


2IO 


THE  RUNAWAY  STEED  STOPPED. 


schoolhouse.  There  had  been 
no  school  for  a  week  or  so  ;  and 
the  snows  had  blown  and  drifted 
around  the  building,  so  that  at 
the  back  there  was  a  smooth 
plain  from  the  fields  to  the  very 
top  of  the  roof.  Toward  this  the 
tobogan  flew. 

"  Hollo !  "  shouted  Jack. 
"Stop!"  But  at  that  distance 
no  one  could  have  heard  him. 

"  He'll  go  over  the  building, 


and  pitch  headlong  into  the 
street ! "  cried  Will.  "  He'll  break 
.his  neck !  There  he  goes  !  " 

But  just  at  that  minute, 
when  the  tobogan  had  reached 
the  top  of  the  roof,  its  rider 
looked  up,  and  saw  his  danger. 
With  a  sudden  movement  he 
caught  the  chimney  with  both 
arms,  and  held  it  with  a  grip 
like  iron.  It  was  close  work: 
but  the  runaway  steed  came  to 
a  halt ;  and,  when  he  relaxed  his 
hold,  it  slid  slowly  back  down 


A   FINAL    TRIAL.  211 


the  roof  where  it  had  come  up,  and  stopped.  Unfortunately,  it 
did  not  slide  far  enough ;  and,  when  he  stepped  off,  the  driver 
disappeared  into  a  drift,  in  which  he  sank  up  to  his  shoulders. 
A  few  vigorous  plunges,  however,  brought  him  out. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  he  said  to  the  boys,  who  ran  to  meet 
him,  "  that's  prime !  I've  got  the  idea  of  the  thing  now.  Next 
time  I'll  try  the  hill  farther  to  the  left.  It  is  much  smoother 
there ;  and,  if  all  goes  right  next  time,  I  can  take  two  of  you 
down  with  me  each  time." 

"  Don't  let's  climb  the  hill  again,  fellows,"  said  Tom.  "  Let's 
wait  here,  and  see  him  come  down." 

So  they  clambered  up  on  the  fence,  and  waited.  Up  the 
hill  went  the  driver  with  a  long  stride.  He  had  forgotten  about 
the  snow  down  his  back,  and  the  bounce  into  the  air,  and  was 
beginning  to  think  Thomas  John  a  fool  again.  He  went  some 
distance  from  where  he  had  started  before,  and  took  his  seat. 

"  Do  you  think  it  quite  wise  to  go  down  there?"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  You  may  bring  up  among  some  of  those  trees." 

"  Oh !  I  know  how  to  manage  her  now,"  said  the  driver. 
"  I'll  steer  clear  of  them  without  any  trouble." 

Vain  words !  Down  came  the  tobogan !  It  acted  as  if  alive 
and  filled  with  the  spirit  of  wickedness.  Straight  on  it  flew 
toward  one  particular  tree  near  the  foot  of  the  hill,  swerving 
neither  to  the  right  nor  left.  Its  rider  tried  to  steer  it;  but  it 
would  not  be  steered.  The  boys,  who  were  looking  on,  saw 
one  minute  a  swiftly  flying  tobogan,  and  the  next  a  man  wildly 
embracing  a  tree ;  while  the  tobogan,  split  into  two  long  strips, 
lay  close  at  hand. 


212 


ANOTHER    WOUNDED  MAN. 


They  all  rushed  forward ;  but,  before  they  reached  the  spot, 
the  driver  had  picked  himself  up,  and  stood  holding  his  head  in 
his  hands,  looking  ruefully  down  at  the  wreck. 

"There's  an  end  of  that  concern  anyway,"  he  said  at  length. 

"  Why,  the  side  of  your  face 
is  all  bruised,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  And  it  has  begun  to 
swell.  You  had  better  hold 
some  snow  to  it  as  we  go  along, 
and  when  we  get  to  the  house 
we  can  tie  it  up.  —  Here,  boys : 
bring  on  the  tobogan." 

So  they  made  their  way,  a 
rather  depressed  party,  back 
to  the  house,  the  remains  of 
Thomas  John's  experiment  trail 
ing  behind  them.  When  they 
had  put  it  in  the  barn,  they 
went  on  to  join  the  girls. 

"Well,  I  declare!"  said 
Thomas  John's  mother,  "  if 
there  ba'in't  another  wounded 
man !  That  'ere  critter  will  be 
the  death  of  Thomas  John  yet 
I  expect,  he's  so  presumptions." 

"Not  as  it  is  now,"  said  the  driver;    "for  I  busted  it." 
"  Well,  now,  you   don't  say  so !  "  said  Thomas  John's    mother. 
''That's  a  real  blessing.     It  makes   me   feel  wonderful   friendly  to 


HOME  AGAIN.  213 


ye.  Seems  kind  of  as  if  you'd  resked  your  life  to  save  Thomas 
John's,  don't  it?  Come  in,  come  in,  and  I'll  tie  your  head  up 
for  you." 

Much  as  he  disliked  the  operation,  there  was  no  help  for  it ; 
for  one  eye  was  fast  closing  up.  With  a  huge  slice  of  raw  pork 
firmly  tied  on  with  a  big  white  cloth,  he  climbed  up  after  a 
little  on  to  his  seat,  and  the  whole  party  got  in  for  the  home 
ward  ride.  Mr.  Longwood  took  the  reins  in  hand ;  and  once 
more  away  they  went,  waving  their  hats  to  Thomas  John's 
mother,  who  stood  in  the  yard  to  see  them  off.  The  sun  was 
just  setting  as  they  left ;  and  before  long  the  stars  came  out,  one 
by  one.  As  they  drove  up  to  their  own  door,  the  clock  was 
just  striking  six ;  and  five  minutes  later  they  were  around  the 
supper-table. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

"  HURRAH  ! "  said  Tom  as  they  rose  from  the  table.  "  Now 
for  Jack's  great-grandmother !  " 

"Would  you  mind  if  I  told  my  story  first?"  asked  Rose. 
"  Then  I  shall  have  it  off  of  my  mind." 

"  No :  go  on,  by  all  means,"  said  Jack.  "  I'll  just  lie  down 
on  the  sofa,  and  collect  my  thoughts." 

So  Rose  began.  "  The  story  I  am  going  to  tell  you,"  said 
she,  "  is  of  a  boy  in  the  Revolution,  who  lived  in  Portsmouth. 
It  is  written  by  himself.  At  Portsmouth,  he  says, 

"  Ships  were  building,  prizes  taken  from  the  enemy  unloading, 
privateers  fitting  out,  standards  waved  on  the  forts  and  batteries. 
The  exercising  of  soldiers,  the  roar  of  cannon,  the  sound  of  mar 
tial  music,  and  the  call  for  volunteers,  so  infatuated  me,  that  I 
was  filled  with  anxiety  to  become  an  actor  in  the  scenes  of  war. 
My  eldest  brother,  Thomas,  had  recently  returned  from  a  cruise 
on  board  'The  General  Mifflin/  of  Boston,  Capt.  McNeal.  This 
ship  had  captured  thirteen  prizes ;  some  of  which,  however,  being 
of  little  value,  were  burnt ;  some  were  sold  in  France ;  others 
reached  Boston,  and  their  cargoes  were  divided  among  the  crew 
of  that  ship.  On  my  brother's  return  I  became  more  eager  to 

try  my   fortune    at   sea.     My   father,  though    a   high   Whig,  dis- 
214 


/  RESOLVE   TO  RUN  AWAY.  215 

approved  the  practice  of  privateering.  Merchant-vessels  at  this 
period,  which  ran  safe,  made  great  gains :  seamen's  wages  were, 
consequently,  very  high.  Through  my  father's  influence,  Thomas 
was  induced  to  enter  the  merchants'  service.  Though  not  yet 
fourteen  years  of  age,  like  other  boys  I  imagined  myself  almost 
a  man.  I  had  intimated  to  my  sister,  that,  if  my  father  would 
not  consent  that  I  should  go  to  sea,  I  would  run  away,  and  go 
on  board  a  privateer.  My  mind  became  so  infatuated  with  the 
subject,  that  I  talked  of  it  in  my  sleep,  and  was  overheard  by 
my  mother.  She  communicated  what  she  had  heard  to  my  father. 
My  parents  were  apprehensive  that  I  might  wander  off,  and  go 
on  board  some  vessel  without  their  consent.  At  this  period  it 
was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  lads  to  come  out  of  the  country, 
step  on  board  a  privateer,  make  a  cruise,  and  return  home,  their 
friends  remaining  in  entire  ignorance  of  their  fate  until  they 
heard  it  from  themselves.  Others  would  pack  up  their  clothes, 
take  a  cheese  and  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  steer  off  for  the  army. 
There  was  a  disposition  in  commanders  of  privateers  and  recruit 
ing-officers  to  encourage  this  spirit  of  enterprise  in  young  men 
and  boys.  Though  these  rash  young  adventurers  did  not  count 
the  cost,  or  think  of  looking  at  the  dark  side  of  the  picture,  yet 
this  spirit,  amidst  the  despondency  of  many,  enabled  our  country 
to  maintain  a  successful  struggle,  and  finally  achieve  her  inde 
pendence. 

"  The  Continental  ship  of  war  '  Ranger,'  of  eighteen  guns,  com 
manded  by  Thomas  Simpson,  Esq.,  was  at  this  time  shipping  a 
crew  in  Portsmouth.  This  ship  had  been  ordered  to  join  '  The 
Boston '  and  '  Providence '  frigates,  and  '  The  Queen  of  France/ 


2l6 


SHIPPED  ABOARD   "THE  RANGER." 


of  twenty  guns,  upon  an  expedition  directed  by  Congress.  My 
father,  having  consented  that  I  should  go  to  sea,  preferred  the 
service  of  Congress  to  privateering.  He  was  acquainted  with 
Capt.  Simpson.  I  visited  the  rendezvous  of  '  The  Ranger,'  and 
shipped  as  one  of  her  crew.  There  were  probably  thirty  boys 
on.  board  this  ship.  As  most  of  our  principal  officers  belonged 


"THE  RANGER." 

to  the  town,  parents  preferred  this  ship  as  a  station  for  their 
sons  who  were  about  to  enter  the  naval  service.  Hence  most 
of  these  boys  were  from  Portsmouth.  As  privateering  was  the 
order  of  the  day,  vessels  of  every  description  were  employed  in 
the  business.  Men  were  not  wanting  who  would  hazard  them- 


OUT  AT  SEA.  217 


selves  in  vessels  of  twenty  tons  or  less,  manned  by  ten  or  fifteen 
hands.  * 

"  The  boys  were  employed  in  waiting  on  the  officers ;  but,  in 
time  of  action,  a  boy  was  quartered  to  each  gun  to  carry  car 
tridges.  I  was  waiter  to  Mr.  Charles  Roberts,  the  boatswain,  and 
was  quartered  at  the  third  gun  from  the  bow.  Being  ready  for 
sea,  we  sailed  to  Boston,  joined  '  The  Providence '  frigate,  com 
manded  by  Commodore  Whipple,  '  The  Boston '  frigate,  and  '  The 
Queen  of  France.'  I  believe  that  this  small  squadron  composed 
nearly  the  entire  navy  of  the  United  States.  We  proceeded  to 
sea  some  time  in  June,  1779.  A  considerable  part  of  the  crew  of 
'  The  Ranger '  being  raw  hands,  and  the  sea  rough,  especially  in 
the  Gulf  Stream,  many  were  exceedingly  sick,  and  myself  among 
the  rest.  We  afforded  a  subject  of  constant  ridicule  to  the  old 
sailors.  Our  officers  improved  every  favorable  opportunity  for 
working  the  ship  and  exercising  the  guns.  We  cruised  several 
weeks,  made  the  Western  Islands,  and  at  length  fell  in  with  the 
homeward-bound  Jamaica  fleet  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  It 
was  our  practice  to  keep  a  man  at  the  mast-head  constantly  by 
day  on  the  lookout.  The  moment  a  sail  was  discovered,  a  signal 
was  given  to  our  consorts;  and  all  possible  exertion  was  made  to 
come  up  with  the  stranger,  or  discover  what  she  was.  About 
seven  o'clock  one  morning,  the  man  at  the  fore-topmast  head 
cried  out,  '  A  sail !  a  sail  on  the  lee-bow  !  another  there,  and  there  ! ' 
Our  young  officers  ran  up  the  shrouds,  and  with  their  glasses 
soon  ascertained  that  more  than  fifty  sail  could  be  seen  from  the 
mast-head.  It  should  here  be  observed,  that,  during  the  months 
of  summer,  it  is  extremely  foggy  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland, 


2l8  THE  JAMAICA   FLEET, 


Sometimes  a  ship  cannot  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
yands ;  and  then  in  a  few  moments  you  may  have  a  clear  sky  and 
bright  sun  for  half  an  hour,  and  you  are  then  enveloped  in  the 
fog  again.  The  Jamaica  fleet,  which  consisted  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  sail,  some  of  which  were  armed,  was  convoyed 
by  one  or  two  line-of-battle  ships,  several  frigates,  and  sloops  of 
war.  Our  little  squadron  was  in  the  rear  of  the  fleet,  and  we 
had  reason  to  fear  that  some  of  the  heaviest  armed  ships  were 
there  also.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  'The  Boston'  frigate  was  not  in 
company  with  us  at  this  time.  My  reader  may  easily  imagine 
that  our  minds  were  agitated  with  alternate  hopes  and  fears.  No 
time  was  to  be  lost.  Our  commodore  soon  brought  to  one  of 
our  ships,  manned,  and  sent  her  off.  Being  to  windward,  he  edged 
away,  and  spoke  to  our  captain.  We  were  at  this  time  in  pur 
suit  of  a  large  ship.  The  commodore  hauled  his  wind  again ; 
and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  we  came  up  with  the  ship,  which 
proved  to  be  '  The  Holderness,'  a  three-decker,  mounting  twenty- 
two  guns.  She  struck  after  giving  her  several  broadsides.  Al 
though  she  had  more  guns,  and  those  of  heavier  mettle,  than 
ourselves,  her  crew  was  not  sufficiently  large  to  manage  her 
guns,  and  at  the  same  time  work  the  ship.  She  was  loaded 
with  cotton,  coffee,  sugar,  rum,  and  allspice.  While  we  were 
employed  in  manning  her  out,  our  commodore  captured  another, 
and  gave  her  up  to  us  to  man  also.  When  this  was  accom 
plished,  it  was  nearly  night :  we  were,  however,  unwilling  to 
abandon  the  opportunity  of  enriching  ourselves ;  therefore  kept 
along  under  easy  sail.  Some  time  in  the  night  we  found  our 
selves  surrounded  with  ships,  and  supposed  we  were  discovered. 


A   BROADSIDE   OR   TWO. 


219 


We  could  distinctly  hear  their  bells,  on  which  they  frequently 
struck  a  few  strokes,  that  their  ships  might  not  approach  too 
near  each  other  during-  the  night.  We  were  close  on  board  one 
of  their  largest  armed  ships,  and,  from  the  multitude  of  lights 
which  had  appeared,  supposed  that  they  had  called  to  quarters. 
It  being  necessary  to  avoid  their  convoy,  we  fell  to  leeward,  and 
in  an  hour  lost  sight  of  them  all.  The  next  day  the  sky  was 
overcast,  and  at  times  we  had  a  thick  fog.  In  the  afternoon  the 


A   BROADSIDE   OR  TWO. 


sun  shone  for  a  short  time,  and  enabled  us  to  see  a  numerous  fleet 
a  few  miles  to  windward,  in  such  compact  order,  that  we  thought 
it  not  best  to  approach  them.  We  were,  however,  in  hopes  that 
we  might  pick  up  some  single  ship.  We  knew  nothing  of  our 
consorts,  but  were  entirely  alone.  Towards  night  we  took  and 
manned  out  a  brig.  On  the  third  morning  we  gained  sight  of 
three  ships,  to  which  we  gave  chase,  and  called  all  hands  to 


220  AN  UNWILLING  PRIZE. 

quarters.  When  they  discovered  us  in  chase,  they  huddled  to 
gether,  intending,  as  we  supposed,  to  fight  us.  They,  however, 
soon  made  sail,  and  ran  from  us.  After  a  short  lapse  of  time  we 
overhauled  and  took  one  of  them,  which  we  soon  found  to  be  a 
dull  sailer.  Another,  while  we  were  manning  our  prize,  attempted 
to  escape ;  but  we  found  that  we  gained  upon  her.  While  in 
chase,  a  circumstance  occurred  which  excited  some  alarm.  Two 
large  ships  hove  in  sight  to  windward,  running  directly  for  us 
under  a  press  of  sail.  One  of  them  shaped  her  course  for  the 
prize  we  had  just  manned.  We  were  unwilling  to  give  up  our 
chase,  as  we  had  ascertained  from  our  prize  that  the  two  other 
ships  were  laden  with  sugar,  rum,  cotton,  &c.,  and  that  they 
were  unarmed.  We  soon  came  up  with  the  hindmost,  brought 
her  to,  and  ordered  her  to  keep  under  our  stern  while  we 
might  pursue  the  other,  as  our  situation  was  too  critical  to  allow 
us  to  heave  to  and  get  out  our  boat. 

"  The  stranger  in  chase  of  us  was  under  English  colors.  We, 
however,  soon  ascertained  by  her  signal  that  she  was  '  The  Provi 
dence  '  frigate,  on  board  of  which  was  our  commodore.  This 
joyful  intelligence  relieved  us  from  all  fear  of  the  enemy,  and 
we  soon  came  up  with  our  chase.  In  the  mean  time  the  prize 
which  we  had  taken  (but  not  boarded)  sought  to  get  under  the 
protection  of  'The  Providence,'  mistaking  that  frigate  for  one  of 
the  English  convoy,  as  he  still  kept  their  colors  flying.  Our 
prize,  therefore,  as  she  thought,  eluded  us,  and,  hailing  our  com 
modore,  informed  him  '  that  a  Yankee  cruiser  had  taken  one  of 
the  fleet.'  — '  Very  well,  very  well,'  replied  the  commodore :  '  I'll 
be  alongside  of  him  directly.'  He  then  hauled  down  his  English 


BOARDING   THE  PRIZE. 


221 


colors,  hoisted  the  American,  and  ordered  the  ship  to  haul  down 
her  flag,  and  come  under  his  stern.  This  order  was  immediately 
obeyed.  We  now  ascertained  that  the  strange  ship  which  was 
in  chase  of  our  first  prize  was  another  of  our  consorts,  'The 


BOARDING   THE    PRIZE. 


Queen    of  France.'     Having   manned  our  prizes,  and  secured  our 
prisoners,  we  all  shaped  our  course  for  Boston,  where  we  arrived 
some  time  in  the  last  of  July,  or  beginning  of  August,   1779. 
"In  all  we  had  taken  ten  prizes,  two  of  which  were  re-taken. 


222  MY'  SHARE   OF  THE  SPOILS. 


4  The  Ranger '  made  but  a  short  stop  at  Boston  ;  for,  as  most  of 
our  officers  and  crew  belonged  to  Portsmouth  and  its  vicinity, 
our  vessel  could  be  most  conveniently  refitted  there.  On  return-  < 
ing  home,  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  the  family  well.  My 
eldest  brother  had  recently  returned  from  a  successful  voyage  in 
a  merchantman.  The  cargoes  of  our  prizes  being  divided  among 
our  crews,  my  share  was  about  one  ton  of  sugar,  from  thirty  to 
forty  gallons  of  fourth-proof  Jamaica  rum,  about  twenty  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  about  the  same  quantity  of  ginger,  logwood,  and 
allspice,  about  seven  hundred  dollars  in  paper  money,  equal  to 
one  hundred  dollars  in  specie.  My  readers  must  be  left  to  imagine 
the  feelings  of  my  parents  when  they  could  number  four  sons 
and  seven  daughters  around  their  table  in  health  and  prosperity. 
'  In  the  day  of  prosperity  be  joyful ;  but  in  the  day  of  adversity 
consider :  God  also  hath  set  the  one  over  against  the  other,  to 
the  end  that  man  should  find  nothing  after  him'  (Eccles.  vii.  14)." 
"Now,  then,"  cried  Ned  as  soon  as  Lou  had  finished,  —  "  now, 
then,  for  our  great-grandmother!  Turn  on  the  lights;  ring  up 
the  curtain  ;  prepare  for  something  startling. 

'  For,  oh  !  it  is  an  'orrible  tale  : 
I'm  sure  'twill  make  your  cheeks  turn  pale.' 

"  The  lecturer  will  now  advance  to  the  rostrum." 

All  eyes  were  turned  to  the  dusky  corner  of  the  room,  where 

Jack   lay    stretched    upon    the    sofa ;     but    not    a    motion    did    he 

make. 

"  I  do  believe  he  has  gone  to   sleep,"  said  Ned,  going  toward 

him.     "Yes,  he  is  fast  asleep. — Jack!"  he  bawled,  "wake  up!" 


WAKE   UP,   JACK!  22$ 


Not  a  movement  from  Jack. 

"  Shake  him,"  said  Charlie. 

Ned  seized  him  by  the  shoulder,  and  gave  him  a  good 
shaking. 

"  Lemme  be,"  said  Jack  in  a  very  sleepy  tone. 

"Oh!  poor  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "He  is  all  tired  out. 
Do  let  him  sleep.  It  is  a  shame  to  wake  him." 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  Ned  and  Charlie  at  the  same  time, 
"and  lose  that  wonderful  story!  That  will  never  do.  He  must 
be  waked." 

So  both  boys  seized  him  firmly,  and  shook  and  shouted, 
while  all  the  rest  looked  on  laughing.  After  several  minutes  of 
vigorous  pulling  and  bawling,  Jack  was  so  far  roused  that  he 
sat  up,  and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  asked. 

"Tell  us  about  your  great-grandmother,"  said  Carrie. 

"  I  never  had  a  great-grandmother,"  said  Jack  in  a  very 
thick  voice  ;  and  he  fell  back  on  the  sofa,  and  in  a  minute  was 
sound  asleep  again. 

"  I  fear  that  it  is  hopeless  to  try  to  rouse  him,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  Perhaps  Gertrude  can  tell  us  what  her  great- 
grandmother  did  that  has  so  excited  Jack's  admiration." 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea,"  said  Gertrude.  "  I  asked  him 
two  or  three  times ;  but  he  always  said  I  ought  to  be  ashamed 
not  to  know  of  the  glorious  deeds  of  my  ancestors.  I  don't  see 
how  it  could  have  had  any  thing  to  do  with  American  history, 
in  any  case  ;  for  one  of  our  grandmothers  was  French,  and  the 
other  English." 


224  NED  PRESCRIBES  COLD    WATER. 

"  Don't  you  think  we  might  pour  some  cold  water  on  his 
head,  and  wake  him  that  way  ? "  asked  Ned. 

"  For  shame,  Ned ! "  said  Kate.  "  You  had  better  carry  him 
away,  and  put  him  to  bed." 

The  boys  all  seized  upon  Jack  at  this  suggestion,  and  bore 
him  unresisting  up  stairs,  where  they  proceeded  to  take  off 
his  clothes,  and  make  him  ready  for  bed.  Not  a  word  did  he 
say,  and  not  a  motion  did  he  make.  The  skating  and  coasting 
had  tired  him  out  completely,  and  he  was  as  sound  asleep  as  a 
boy  could  be.  They  put  him  into  bed,  and  pulled  up  the  sheet 
and  tucked  it  up,  and  were  just  about  to  put  out  the  light  and 
leave  him,  when  Master  Jack  began  to  speak. 

"Hush!"  said  Will:  "he's  talking  in  his  sleep!" 

It  was  a  long  sentence  which  Jack  was  uttering.  But,  though 
the  boys  listened  intently,  his  voice  was  so  thick,  that  they  could 
not  make  out  any  of  it  but  the  last  few  words ;  and  these  were 
plain  enough.  They  were,  "  Just  wait  till  you  hear  about  my 
great-grandmother." 

When  they  were  all  down  about  the  fire  again,  Will  said,  "  It 
is  too  bad  that  we  are  to  lose  a  story!  Mr.  Longwood,  can  you 
not  tell  us  one  ?  " 

All  joined  in  urging ;    and  so  Mr.   Longwood  began  :  — 

"  You  all  know,  of  course,  that  at  the  first  discovery  of  this 
country,  while  the  English  settled  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard, 
the  French,  entering  the  St.  Lawrence,  took  possession  of 
Canada.  They  did  not  follow  the  same  plan  as  their  neighbors 
to  the  southward  ;  for,  instead  of  cultivating  the  soil,  they  looked 
rather  to  a  trade  in  furs  with  the  Indians.  Instead  of  founding 


BEGONE,    YOU  VAGABOND!  2Q$ 

towns,  and  clearing  away  forests,  they  built  forts,  in  each  of 
which  a  small  garrison  lived.  Hither  came  the  Indians  to  trade 
their  furs  for  blankets,  guns,  powder,  and  the  bright  trifles  that 
took  their  fancy;  and  from  these  posts  set  out  the  hardy  fur- 
traders  to  make  long  journeys  into  the  primeval  forest.  In  their 
light  canoes  they  passed  up  the  rivers  of  the  north  hundreds  of 
miles,  sleeping  at  night  by  lonely  camp-fires,  —  strong,  sturdy 
men,  despising  toil  and  exposure.  The  French  took  much  more 
kindly  to  the  Indians  than  did  the  English.  Many  of  these 
voyageurs  took  to  themselves  native  wives,  and  settled  down  to 
a  life  in  the  forest,  surrounded  by  dusky  half-breed  children. 

"  The  Indian  was  never  a  very  noble  specimen,  and  the  white 
man's  whiskey  did  not  raise  him  any  higher.  When  he  loafed 
day  after  day  about  an  English  village,  he  was  called  an  idle 
vagabond,  and  roughly  bidden  to  be  gone.  If  he  purloined 
some  article  that  took  his  fancy,  he  was  summarily  put  in  jail. 
When  he  went  to  the  French  fort,  all  was  different.  He  might 
hang  about  for  weeks,  and  no  one  found  fault.  The  French 
commanders  in  time  of  war  even  donned  the  paint  and  feathers, 
and  danced  the  war-dance  around  the  scalping-post  with  the 
Indian  braves,  shouting,  shrieking,  and  brandishing  their  toma 
hawks,  like  the  rest. 

"  Years  rolled  on.  While  mile  after  mile  ol  forest  had  fallen 
before  the  Englishman's  axe,  and  fresh  towns  had  sprung  up  here 
and  there  amid  the  wilderness,  the  French  had  built  almost  no  towns 
at  all.  But  they  had  been  busy  in  other  directions.  Bold  explorers 
had  followed  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  its  source,  had  crossed  the  Great 
Lakes,  had  discovered  the  Mississippi,  and  had  sailed  down  it  to  the 


226  WAR  IS  DECLARED. 


Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Ohio,  too,  they  had  navigated.  All  the  lands 
bordering  on  these  great  rivers  they  claimed  for  the  king  of  France. 

"  If  you  will  look  on  the  map,  you  will  see  that  these  claims  to 
the  valleys  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  left  to  England  but  a  strip 
of  seaboard  on  the  Atlantic.  Already  the  English  settlers,  westward 
bound,,  were  on  the  outskirts  of  the  Ohio.  A  struggle  could  not  be 
avoided,  and  war  between  England  and  France  was  declared.  It 
was  long  and  bloody.  Nearly  all  the  Indians  took  part  with  the 
French,  and  all  the  terrors  of  a  border  war  came  upon  the  poor  out 
lying  settlers.  At  first,  too,  the  French  had  success  on  their  side ; 
but  soon  the  tide  of  battle  turned.  Gen.  Wolfe  was  at  the  head  of 
the  English  and  Colonial  forces.  One  after  another  the  enemy's 
forts  fell  before  him,  —  Louisburg,  where  he  leaped  into  the  sea,  and 
led  his  troops  to  land  through  the  surf ; l  and  at  last  Quebec,  where, 
on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  he  found  victory  and  a  soldier's  end. 

"  The  capture  of  Quebec  practically  put  an  end  to  the  war.  The 
Frencli  possessions  in  Canada  and  the  West  came  under  English 
rule,  and  one  after  another  their  outlying  forts  were  surrendered. 
It  is  with  one  of  these,  Detroit,  then  far  beyond  even  the  outskirts 
of  civilization,  that  my  story  has  to  do. 

"  The  fort  had  now  been  for  some  little  time  in  English  hands. 
Widespread  discontent  was  felt  among  all  the  Indian  tribes ;  and 
among  them  went  Pontiac,  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  rousing  them  by 
stories  of  their  wrongs,  and  by  working  upon  their  love  for  blood,  to 
go  upon  the  war-path.  His  plan  was  to  capture  by  treachery  or  a 
sudden  onslaught  all  the  outlying  forts,  and  then  to  fall  upon  the 
lonely,  unprotected  settlers,  who,  unsuspicious  of  their  plans,  would 

*  See  Frontispiece. 


A   PIECE  OF  TREACHERY.  229 

•become  an  easy  prey.  In  this  way  the  credulous  savages  believed 
the  English  might  be  driven  out  of  the  land  to  the  last  man. 

"The  fort  at  Detroit  would  nowadays  be  considered  a  sorry 
structure.  It  was  a  palisade  some  twenty-five  feet  high,  within  which 
were  a  hundred  small  wooden  straw-thatched  houses.  Here  and 
there  over  the  gates  of  the  palisade  were  block-houses,  while  a  bas 
tion  stood  at  each  corner.  The  garrison  consisted  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  soldiers,  though  there  were  besides  some  forty  fur- 
traders.  This  was  the  place  Pontiac  proposed  to  surprise.  His  plan 
was  this :  He  was  to  demand  a  council.  Sixty  of  his  braves  were 
to  attend  him,  each  man  muffled  in  a  blanket,  beneath  which  he  had 
ready  his  gun  and  scalping-knife.  They  would  easily  get  access  to 
the  fort ;  for  as  yet  the  whites  had  no  idea  how  widespread  was  the 
disaffection  among,  them,  and  would  admit  them  without  hesitation. 
At  the  council,  Pontiac  would  deliver  his  speech.  At  the  appointed 
sign,  when  he  should  hold  forth  in  his  hand  a  peace-belt  of  wampum 
in  a  reversed  position,  every  man  would  drop  his  blanket,  and,  instead 
of  quiet  Indians,  there  would  appear  a  band  of  braves,  knives  in 
hand,  shouting  their  war-whoop.  The  officers  were  to  be  shot  down 
at  once ;  and  the  garrison,  thrown  into  confusion,  would  soon  be  at 
the  mercy  of  their  friends,  who,  on  tne  watch  without,  would  crowd 
in  through  the  gates  to  help  them. 

"  A  day  or  two  before  this  surprise  was  to  take  place,  a  woman 
from  the  garrison,  going  into  one  of  the  Indian  villages,  found  sev 
eral  of  the  men  filing  off  the  barrels  of  their  guns,  so  as  to  make 
them,  stock  and  all,  not  more  than  three  feet  in  length.  It  seemed 
to  her  a  very  strange  thing  to  do ;  and,  when  she  spoke  of  it,  it  was 
found  that  during  the  past  few  days  many  Indians  had  tried  to  bor- 


230  FILES  AND  SAWS. 


row  files  and  saws  of  the  blacksmith,  and  that  they  would  not  tell 
what  they  wanted  them  for. 

"The  commander,  Major  Gladwin,  was  informed;  but  he  did 
not  think  it  foreboded  any  mischief.  The  next  day  he  received 
intelligence  which  showed  him  that  trouble  was  ahead.  It  is  said 
that  a  young  Indian  girl,  who  had  fallen  in  love  with  him,  on 
the  day  before  the  treachery  was  to  be  consummated  revealed 
to  him  the  whole  plot.  That  night  the  watchful  commander 
doubled  the  sentinels  at  their  posts ;  for  from  afar  through  the 
silent  hours  came  the  shouts  of  warriors  as  they  danced  about 
the  scalping- post  in  preparation  for  the  bloody  work  before 
them. 

"  The  next  morning  dawned  bright  and  fair.  About  the  fort 
came  swarming  bands  of  Indians.  They  disposed  themselves  as 
if  to  have  a  game  of  ball ;  but  it  was  noticed  that  they  were  in 
great  excitement,  and  kept  a  constant  eye  upon  the  fort.  Soon 
from  the  forest  came  Pontiac,  at  the  head  of  his  sixty  warriors, 
each  man  wrapped  in  his  blanket.  Stalking  silently  on,  they 
halted  at  the  fort,  and  demanded  a  council.  The  gates  were 
thrown  open,  and  they  entered.  As  they  did  so,  they  started  with 
surprise ;  for,  instead  of  the  every-day  appearance  which  they 
were  accustomed  to  see  there,  they  found  themselves  received 
between  lines  of  soldiers,  while  every  few  paces  on  stood  groups 
of  hardy  traders,  armed  to  the  teeth.  They  were  thoroughly 
startled.  Could  it  be  that  their  plan  was  discovered?  It  was 
too  late  to  retreat ;  for  the  gates  were  closed  behind  them.  They 
moved  onward  to  the  council-hall.  Here,  meeting  only  Major 
Gladwin  and  one  or  two  of  his  officers,  their  suspicions  were 


CRESTFALLEN  AND  ABASHED.  233 

lulled.  Why  was  it,  Pontiac  demanded,  that,  when  they  came  on 
a  peaceful  errand,  they  found  so  many  armed  men  about  ? 
Gladwin  replied  that  it  was  because  they  were  practising  in  the 
use  of  their  weapons. 

"  Pontiac  then  made  his  speech.  The  commander  never  took 
his  eye  from  him.  As  the  Indian  moved  his  hand  to  reach  out 
the  belt  that  was  the  fatal  signal,  he  made  a  sudden  motion.  In 
an  instant  came  the  clash  of  arms  from  the  troops  outside, 
while  the  long  roll  of  the  drums  filled  the  room  with  their 
deafening  din.  There  was  now  no  longer  any  doubt  among  the 
Indians  that  their  plans  were  known.  Crestfallen  and  abashed, 
they  made  their  way  through  the  ranks  of  soldiery  to  the  gates, 
and  vanished  into  the  forest.  Detroit  was  saved." 

"  I  should  have  thought,"  said  Will,  "  that,  when  Gladwin  had 
them  all  there,  he  would  have  seized  them.  He  would  have 
found  the  proofs  of  their  villany  on  them." 

"  He  did  not  know  how  widespread  was  the  determination  of 
the  Indians  to  have  war,  or  he  would  have  done  so,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  Perhaps,  too,  he  wanted  to  show  them  that  he 
could  afford  to  despise  them  and  their  efforts.  Had  Pontiac 
been  seized  then,  no  doubt  a  long  struggle  and  many  hundred 
lives  might  have  been  saved." 

"  Tell  us  some  more  about  him,"  said  Ned. 

"  It  is  time  for  our  story-telling  to  come  to  an  end  now," 
said  Mrs.  Longwood ;  "  for  it  is  growing  late,  and  we  must  all 
be  in  bed  early  if  we  are  to  be  up  in  time  to  take  the  morning 
train  for  New  York.  Our  week  at  the  sea  has  been  a  happy 
one ;  but  all  good  things  must  come  to  an  end." 


234  THE  END   OF  THE    YULE  LOG. 

Just  as  she  spoke,  a  great  log  on  the  fire,  that  had  been 
blazing  and  flashing  all  the  evening,  crumbled  into  a  mass  of 
glowing  embers. 

"Yes,"  said  Will:  "let  us  go.  Our  Yule  Log  has  burned 
out." 


PART  TWO. 


Aboard  the  Mavis. 


CHAPTER   I. 


IT  was  a  day  in  early  Sep 
tember.  Beyond  the  fields,  yel 
low  with  the  golden-rod,  or  white 
,  with  the  tiny  autumn  daisy,  lay 
the  ocean,  more  blue  than  the 
sky  above  it,  while  the  little  Lake  Agawam  seemed  like  a  sap 
phire  in  a  golden  setting.  A  fresh,  crisp  wind  was  rustling  the 
grass,  now  turning  brown  in  the  falling  year ;  and  the  never- 
ceasing  thunder  of  the  surf  on  the  long  stretch  of  beach-sands 
filled  the  air. 

Indoors  about  the  dining-table  were  seated  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Longwood,  and  Tom  and  Carrie.  Tom  had  just  laid  down  his 
fork,  and  was  looking  out  of  the  window  with  an  air  of  forced 
resignation. 

"  And  to  think,"  he  said,  after  a  moment,  "  that  a  fellow 
must  leave  all  this,  day  after  to-morrow,  and  go  back  to  school !  " 

237 


TOM  IS  DISCONSOLATE. 


No  one  answered  ;  for,  indeed,  if  all  Tom's  regrets  had  been 
sympathized  with,  some  one  of  the  family  would  have  been  talk 
ing  all  the  time. 

The  arrival  of  the  pudding  seemed  to  revive  his  spirits  ;  and 
he  did  not  speak  again  until  it  had  all  vanished  from  his  plate, 
when  he  said  briefly,  — 

"  Sterscuseme  ?  " 

To  this  enigmatical  remark  his  mother  gave  a  pleasant  nod, 
and  Master  Tom  was  quickly  out  of  the  room.  As  he  reached 
the  piazza,  he  cried  out,  "  Hallo  !  there's  Andrew  !  "  and,  seizing 
his  cap,  he  started  down  the  path  to  the  pier,  toward  which  a 
boat  driven  by  the  sturdy  arms  of  a  young  Irishman  was  rapidly 
approaching. 

"  Any  letters  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  seized  the  painter  of  the 
boat,  and  made  it  fast. 

Andrew,  who  was  a  man  of  few  words,  silently  took  off  his 
hat,  and,  producing  therefrom  two  envelopes,  handed  them  over, 
together  with  three  or  four  newspapers,  which  he  fished  out  of 
a  side  pocket. 

"  All  for  papa,"  said  Tom,  looking  at  the  superscriptions  ;  and 
he  set  out  for  the  house,  and  gave  them  to  his  father,  who  was 
still  sitting  at  the  table.  Then  he  was  on  his  way  out  of  doors 
once  more,  when  a  sudden  call  from  his  father,  who  had  broken 
one  of  the  seals,  stopped  him. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  Tom,"  he  said.  "  I  think  this  letter  con 
cerns  you  ;  "  and,  after  reading  it  carefully  through,  he  tossed  it 
over,  and  Tom  picked  it  up.  This  was  the  letter  :  — 


AN  EPISTLE  FROM  THEOPHILUS  GRINDER.  239 


MR.   GRINDER'S    SELECT   SCHOOL   FOR   YOUNG   GENTLEMEN. 

PUPILS    FITTED    FOR    COLLEGE    OR    BUSINESS.       THE    MODERN    LANGUAGES 

CAREFULLY   TAUGHT. 

No.  2000  MADISON  AVENUE,  NEW-YORK  CITY,  Sept.  8,  1879. 

WILLIAM  LONGWOOD,  ESQ. 

Dear  Sir,  —  It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  I  am  compelled  to  notify  you  of 
the  postponement  of  the  opening  of  the  autumn  term  of  my  school  from  Sept.  15, 
to  Oct.  i. 

A  defect  in  the  drainage-pipes  of  the  house  having  made  itself  perceived,  I 
have  decided  that  it  was  due  to  the  health  of  my  scholars  to  have  a  thorough 
revision  made  of  the  plumbing  of  the  establishment,  in  order  that  any  suspicion 
of  trouble  might  be  done  away  with.  This  revision  is  in  progress,  and  is  making 
such  headway  that  by  the  ist  of  October,  prox.,  I  hope  to  meet  again  all  my 
young  friends. 

The  delay  is  of  course  detrimental  to  their  interests ;  but  by  home  study  of 
three  or  four  hours  each  day,  until  school  begins,  a  great  portion  of  the  loss  may 
be  made  up.  Your  son  was  about  to  enter  on  Algebra,  Sallust's  Jugurthine  Wars, 
and  Latin  Prose  Composition. 

The  idea  that  I  have  thrown  out  will,  no  doubt,  commend  itself  to  your  judg 
ment,  and  I  shall  hope  for  your  hearty  co-operation. 

Yours  with  esteem, 

THEOPHILUS    GRINDER,    M.A. 

Tom  gave  a  wild  shout  of  delight,  and  threw  his  cap  into 
the  air,  deftly  catching  it  as  it  came  down. 

"Carrie!    Mamma!"  he   shouted,  rushing   into   the   hall,  "no 

school ! 

Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o'er  Egypt's  dark  sea : 

Grinder's  pipes  are  out  of  order,  his  pupils  are  free  ! " 
"  Tom,"  said  Carrie  with  great  severity,  "  that  is  a  hymn  that 


24°  TOM  COMMITS  A   SIN. 

you  are  turning  into  ribald  rhyme,  and  it  is  very  wrong  of 
you." 

"  You  seem  to  have  forgotten,  Master  Tom,"  said  his  father, 
with  a  queer  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  he  came  into  the  hall,  "  that 
Mr.  Grinder  wishes  you  to  study  Latin  prose  and  algebra  four 
hours  a  day,  and  confidently  relies  on  my  co-operation  in  seeing 
that  you  do  it.  Had  you  not  better  get  your  books  at  once, 
and  begin  ?  " 

Tom's  countenance  fell.  That  part  of  the  letter  had  hardly 
caught  his  eye  at  all. 

"  O  papa!"    he  said,  "that  would  be  dreadful." 

His  father  laughed.  "  I  confess,"  he  said,  "  that  a  different 
plan  had  occurred  to  me.  How  would  Carrie  and  you  like  to 
ask  down  some  of  your  friends,  and  all  go  next  week  on  an 
expedition  to  Montauk  ? " 

There  was  such  a  chorus  of  delighted  shouts  at  this,  that 
Mrs.  Longwood,  who  had  come  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  at 
Tom's  first  call,  deliberately  put  her  hands  over  her  ears,  and 
went  back  to  her  room. 

When  at  last  quiet  was  restored,  Mr.  Longwood  said,  — 

"  Well,  to-day  is  Wednesday.  You  will  have  two  hours  in 
which  to  write  the  letters  before  the  mail  closes.  I  am  going  to 
the  village,  and  will  post  them.  They  ought  to  reach  their  des 
tination  to-morrow  early,  and  you  should  have  answers  by  Friday 
noon.  Ask  them  all  to  come  on  Saturday ;  and  Monday,  bright 
and  early,  we  will  set  off.  Whom  do  you  intend  to  ask?" 

"We  must  have  Will  and  Charlie  Morgan,"  said  Tom. 

"And  Rose  and  Kate  Waring,"  said  Carrie. 


SOME  LETTERS  ARRIVE.  241 

"  And  Ned  and  Lou  Grant,  of  course,"  said  Tom. 

"And  Gertrude  and  Jack  Hastings,"  added  Carrie. 

"  That  will  be  the  same  party  that  we  had  when  we  kept 
up  our  Yule-tide  festivities,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  and  will  do 
nicely.  Now  off  to  your  letter-writing ;  and  don't  make  any  more 
noise  than  you  can  help,  for  I  want  to  read  my  paper." 

The  letters  were  duly  written  and  posted,  and  Tom  and 
Carrie  were  all  impatience  for  the  time  to  come  when  the 
answers  should  arrive.  Friday  noon  they  were  both  on  hand  at 
the  office  when  the  mail  came  in,  and  watched  with  eagerness 
as  one  letter  after  another  was  thrust  into  their  box.  And  at 
last,  when  the  little  square  window  was  opened  for  delivery, 
Tom  seized  the  handful  of  letters  and  papers  that  were  passed 
to  him ;  and  both  ran  out  together,  where  they  could  examine 
them  free  from  the  curious  eyes  of  the  loungers  in  the  store. 

"  Here  are  two  for  you,  Carrie,  and  two  for  me,"  said  Tom. 
"  Hallo !  where  is  papa?  The  dog-cart  was  here  a  moment 
ago." 

"  Perhaps  the  horse  was  restless,  and  he  has  driven  down  the 
road.  Let  us  sit  down  here,  and  read  the  letters,"  said  Carrie, 
tearing  one  open. 

They  proved  highly  satisfactory.  All  wrote  that  they  were 
coming,  but  Gertrude  and  Jack,  and  from  them  there  was  no 
reply.  Tom  turned  over  the  whole  package,  and  even  went 
back  to  see  if  by  chance  any  thing  could  have  been  left  in  the 
box ;  but  there  was  no  trace  of  such  to  be  found. 

"  Perhaps  they  may  have  been  away  from  home,"  said  Carrie : 
"but,  unless  they  were  very  far  away,  I  think  we  shall  hear  by 


242  A   SHORT  STOUT  MAN  IN  A   PEA-JACKET. 

to-morrow ;  for  I  put  '  Haste '  in  big  letters  on  the  envelope, 
and  I  fancy  Mrs.  Hastings  would  open  it.  Where  can  papa 
be?" 

If  they  had  not  been  so  intent  on  watching  for  the  mail,  they 
would  have  noticed  that  Mr.  Longwood  had  driven  on  slowly 
down  the  village  street.  He  had  hardly  passed  the  first  bend  in 
the  road  when  he  noticed  coming  toward  him  a  short,  stout  man, 
with  grizzled  hair  and  beard,  dressed  in  a  pea-jacket,  whose  roll 
ing  gait  at  once  proclaimed  him  a  sailor.  As  he  came  abreast, 
Mr.  Longwood  pulled  up  his  horse  suddenly,  and  said :  — 

"  Why,  it's  Capt.  Jackson  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  Mr.  Longwood,  here  I  am,"  said  the  captain. 

"And  where  is  the  schooner?"  asked  Mr.  Longwood;  "and 
how  did  you  get  so  far  from  blue  water  ? " 

" '  The  Mavis '  is  tied  up  at  the  wharf  in  Sag  Harbor.  You 
see,  my  mate  and  two  of  the  hands  own  an  interest  in  her,  and 
they  both  came  from  this  section,  and  we've  been  a-v'yagin* 
pretty  steadily  for  two  years,  and  they  thought  they'd  come 
down  and  see  their  folks  for  a  couple  of  weeks ;  and  that's  how 
it  is  the  schooner's  tied  up  idle.  What  I'm  to  do  for  two  weeks, 
I  dono ;  for  I  have  neither  chick  nor  child,  and  time  passes 
kind  o'  monotonous  ashore." 

"  Well,  I  suppose,  then,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that  you 
would  consider  favorably  an  offer  from  me  to  charter  the 
schooner  for  a  week." 

Capt.  Jackson  at  once  became  all  attention,  and  in  ten 
minutes  it  was  arranged.  Mr.  Longwood  was  to  furnish  a  crew 
of  four  men,  —  a  thing  that  he  knew  could  be  easily  done 


AROUSE    YE,  HARDY  MARINERS.  243 

in  a  place  where  every  other  man  had  been  to  sea ;  and 
Capt.  Jackson  and  the  Mavis  were  to  be  at  his  service  for  a 
week. 

"  We  will  arrange  the  trip  in  this  way,"  Mr.  Longwood  ex 
plained  to  Tom  and  Carrie  that  day  at  dinner :  "  Your  mamma 
and  the  girls  will  drive  to  Montauk,  taking  a  day  and  a  half  to 
reach  the  light-house.  The  rest  of  us  will  sail,  joining  them 
there.  Then  we  can  make  any  further  plans  we  fancy.  Per 
haps  we  might  all  go  on  board  our  craft,  and  make  a  trip  to 
New  London. 

"  The  first  thing  to  do  now,  though,  is  to  hunt  up  the  crew 
that  I  have  agreed  to  furnish.  So,  Tom,  if  you  will  go  with 
me,  we  will  start  on  our  search  in  an  hour." 

The  crew  was  easily  obtained.  Thomas  John  Wilsey  from 
North  Sea  was  engaged  as  mate ;  for  he  had  been  to  sea,  and 
was  quite  a  skilful  sailor.  The  man  whom  they  had  met  at 
Shinnecock  Bay  was  to  be  one  of  the  hands,  and  two  other 
sturdy  fellows  were  only  too  glad  to  go. 

The  night's  mail  brought  no  word  from  Gertrude ;  but  the 
next  morning,  when  Carrie  was  in  the  attic  hunting  out  from  an 
old  trunk  something  for  the  trip,  she  heard  some  one  hurrying 
up  the  crooked  stairs ;  and  the  next  minute  one  of  the  maids 
came  panting  toward  her  with  a  yellow  envelope  in  her  hand. 

"  It's  a  telegram,  Miss  Carrie.  Your  papa  told  me  to  take  it 
to  you  as  quickly  as  I  could." 

Carrie  tore  it  open,  and  read:  — 

"  Letter  received.     Hurrah  !     We  are  coming. 

JACK." 


244 


THE  GUESTS  ARRIVE. 


The  morning  train  brought  Will  and  Charlie,  Rose  and  Kate, 
and    Lou    and    Ned ;    and    it    was    a    merry    and    noisy  party  that 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  TELEGRAM. 


gathered  about    the  dining- table.     And  in  the  evening  came  Jack 
and  Gertrude.     Jack  could  not  sit  still,  but  jumped  out  when  he 


JACK  COMES   ON  FOOT. 


245 


•came  near,  and    raced    across    the  fields  to  the  house,  beating  by 
several  minutes  the  rumbling  old  stage  that  brought    them. 

And    now  our  party   is   all    together,  and    everv  one  is  wishing 
for  Monday  to  come,  that  they  may  set  out. 


GERTRUDE  COMES   AT   LAST. 


CHAPTER    II. 

MONDAY  came  at  last.  At  nine 
o'clock,  John,  the  coachman,  brought 
to  the  door  the  great  Concord 
wagon,  while  Andrew  followed  with 
the  farm-cart  for  the  two  small 
trunks  into  which  all  the  baggage 
of  the  land  party  had  been  com 
pressed.  Then  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  climbed  up  to  their 
seats,  John  drew  up  the  reins,  and  off  they  went  at  a  spank 
ing  pace,  the  boys  giving  them  a  parting  cheer  as  they  turned 
into  the  road,  and  disappeared.  Then  every  boy  rushed  into  the 
house  for  his  own  luggage  ;  for  the  lumbering  stage  that  was  to 
take  them  to  the  station  was  seen  slowly  approaching,  half  visible 
through  the  cloud  of  dust  by  which  it  was  enveloped. 

A  half-hour's  ride  on  the  railway  brought  them  to  Sag  Har 
bor,  where  they  found  Capt.  Jackson  waiting,  his  crew  all  on 
board,  and  every  thing  in  readiness  for  an  immediate  start ;  and, 
only  delaying  while  Mr.  Longwood  made  some  purchases  at  one 
of  the  provision-stores,  they  hurried  aboard,  and  in  ten  minutes 
had  cast  off,  and  were  afloat. 

Long  before  they  had  made  their  way  out  through  the  crooked 
246 


JACK  PROPOUNDS  NAUTICAL  QUESTIONS.  247 

channel,  into  the  open  water  of  the  Sound,  Jack  had  been  through 
every  part  of  "  The  Mavis."  He  had  surveyed  with  unspoken 
admiration  the  bunks  around  the  little  cabin  where  they  were  to 
sleep  ;  he  had  pulled  at  every  rope,  and  asked  its  name  ;  and 
he  had  propounded  to  Capt.  Jackson  more  questions  on  nautical 
points  than  that  worthy  seaman  had  ever  heard,  even  from  an 
examining  board.  The  other  boys,  too,  had  not  been  idle  ;  so 
that  when  the  black  head  of  the  cook  suddenly  appeared,  an 
nouncing  that  dinner  was  ready,  they  all  discovered  that  they 
were  ravenously  hungry,  and  made  a  rush  for  the  cabin. 

"  Come,  Captain,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  No,"  said  Capt.  Jackson.  "  I'll  wait  till  we  get  out  of  the 
channel,  into  deep  water,  before  I  take  a  bite." 

"  Well,17  said  Jack,  as  he  paused,  after  a  vigorous  attack  on 
a  sweet-potato,  "  this  is  what  I  call  jolly.  Why,  we  might  be  a 
party  of  bold  navigators  bound  on  exploring  some  unknown  sea, 
—  Columbus  about  to  discover  America,  for  instance." 

"  If  you  want  to  represent  the  discoverer  of  America,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood,  "  you  will  have  to  go  nearly  five  hundred  years 
farther  back  than  Columbus." 

"  Why,  the  question  in  my  geography,"  said  Jack,  "  is,  '  Who 
first  discovered  America  ? '  and  the  answer  is,  '  Christopher  Colum 
bus,  in  1492.'" 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  was  discovered  about 
the  year  1000,  by  a  Northman." 

"What  was  his  name?"  asked  Tom;  "and  how  did  it  come 
about  ? " 

"  Well,  to    make   you    understand    it   clearly,"  said    Mr.    Long- 


248  THE  SEA-KING  HASTINGS. 

wood,  "  I  shall  have  to  go  back  to  the  year  850,  when  there 
lived  in  Norway  a  king,  Harold  Fairhair.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  strength  of  will ;  and  he  brought  all  the  independent 
chiefs,  who  had  before  been  subject  to  no  one,  under  his  power. 
But  there  were  many  who  preferred  to  leave  their  country,  rather 
than  submit.  They  flocked  to  the  Orkney,  and  Shetland,  and 
Faroe  Isles,  and  became  Vikings,  or  sea-rovers.  In  their  long- 
ships,  as  the  war-vessels  were  called,  to  distinguish  them  from 
merchantmen,  they  were  the  terror  of  the  world. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  how  one  Hastings  took  the  city  of  Luna, 
in  Italy  ? 

THE  SACK  OF   LUNA. 

The  guards  on  the  walls  of  Luna, 

As  they  seaward  cast  the  eye, 
See  a  mighty  fleet  of  Vikings 

Clear-cut  against  the  sky. 
*  What,  ho  !   the  town  is  threatened, 

Quick  sound  the  bell's  alarm  ! 
'Tis  the  sea-king  Hastings  cometh : 

Bid  every  freeman  arm.' 

The  dreaded  fleet  draws  nearer, 

Till  each  ship  at  anchor  rides ; 
But  no  gay-wrought  pennons  flutter, 

No  warriors  crowd  their  sides. 
Instead,  a  pall  of  blackness, 

And  the  death-song  chanted  slow, 
While  two  messengers  in  sable  robes 

To  the  gates  of  the  city  go. 


A    FIGHT    BETWEEN    VIKINGS 


HAVE  AT  THEM  NOW,    YE  SEA-DOGS. 


'We  come  not  here  in  anger, 

Nor  the  battle-cry  to  sound; 
But  we  seek  a  grave  for  our  leader 

In  consecrated  ground. 
And  if  ye,  of  your  courtesie, 

Shall  grant  this  our  request, 
Full  many  a  roll  of  yellow  gold 

Will  we  pay  for  his  spirit's  rest.' 

Next  day  the  corpse  of  the  sea-king, 

In  an  oaken  coffin  lain, 
Is  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Vikings, 

At  the  head  of  a  goodly  train. 
Full  reverently  they  bear  him, 

To  music's  mournful  sound, 
Before  the  great  high  altar, 

And  in  silence  stand  around. 


Why  shrink  the  priests  in  terror? 

Why  blanch  their  cheeks  with  fear? 
Can  it  be  their  craven  hearts  stand  still, 

At  the  pale  corpse  lying  here? 
Ha  !   the  coffin  bursts  asunder, 

And  the  dead  man  leapeth  out; 
Above  his  head  his  good  blade  shines, 

From  his  lips  there  rings  the  shout,  — 

'  Have  at  them  now,  ye  sea-dogs  ! 

Plunder,  and  burn,  and  slay ! 
Hew  down  these  craven-hearted  priests, 

The  town  is  ours  this  day  ! 


25 2  HAROLD  FAIRHAIR  GOES   TO    WAR. 

Fear  not  the  odds  against  us, 
Glory  waits  him  who  falls  : 

For  those  who  live  there's  treasure; 
For  the  dead  great  Odin's  halls.' 

Down  crash  the  half-burned  rafters, 
On  the  dead  priests  within' 

Without,  the  shrieks  of  women 
Above  the  battle's  din. 

So  fell  the  town  of  Luna, 

In  the  days  long  since  gone  by : 

Give  God  true  thanks  that  we  live  at  peace, 
Nor  dread  a  battle-cry. 


"  Well,  the  Vikings  harried  England  and  all  the  Atlantic  coast, 
going,  as  we  have  seen,  into  the  Mediterranean  even ;  but  the 
land  they  most  loved  to  fall  upon  was  that  from  which  they  had 
been  driven. 

"  Harold  Fairhair  was  not  a  man  to  submit  to  such  treatment ; 
and  no  sooner  had  he  established  his  authority  over  his  own  land 
than  he  fitted  out  a  great  fleet,  and  fell  upon  the  outlying  islands 
with  such  violence,  that  he  broke  the  power  of  the  Vikings  for 
ever. 

"  Those  who  were  left  alive  after  these  bloody  battles,  having 
now  less  than  ever  a  mind  to  be  the  subjects  of  Harold  Fair- 
hair,  turned  their  eyes  to  Iceland ;  and  such  numbers  went  there, 
that  in  a  few  years  the  habitable  parts  of  the  island  were  thickly 
peopled. 

"  They  were,  as  I    have    said,  a   race    of  warriors.     Their  reli- 


WITH  ODIN  AT   VALHAL. 


gion  made  them  so.  The  hero  who  died  in  battle  went  straight 
to  live  with  Odin,  at  Valhal.  Here  the  roof  was  made  of  the 
golden  shields  of  heroes ;  and  the  time  passed  in  stirring  feats 
of  arms,  and  in  drinking  great  horns  of  mead.  Thor  was  another 
god  :  he  it  was  whose  voice  made  the  thunder.  Ran  was  the 
goddess  of  the  sea  ;  and  there  were  other  gods  and  goddesses 
without  number. 


AN    ICELANDIC    HARBOR. 


"  The  Vikings  recounted  their  valorous  deeds   in   chants  after 

this  fashion  :  — 

'  Hewed  we  with  the  hanger, 

When  I  young  was ; 

East  in  Eyra's  channel, 

Outpoured  we  blood  for  grim  wolves.' 


254 


THORFINN  THE  SKULLSPLITTER. 


"  The  very  names  that  some  of  them  carried  —  such,  for 
instance,  as  '  Thorfinn  the  Skullsplitter  '  —  attested  their  prowess. 

"  It  was  a  wild  land  they  chose  for  their  home  when  they 
were  driven  from  the  Western  Islands  by  Harold.  Great  volca 
noes  belch  forth  in  its  central  portion,  so  that,  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  there  is  not  a  sign  of  plant-life  to  be  found.  At  times 


THE  RIVER  JOKtTLSA. 

the  gloomy  river  Jokulsa  comes  seaward,  its  swollen  waters  cov 
ered  with  ashes,  while  at  night  it  looks  like  a  river  of  blood,  as 
it  reflects  the  stream  of  flame  shooting  high  in  air  from  some 
crater's  mouth.  Only  near  the  seaboard  is  the  country  habitable. 
"  But  the  Northmen  cared  little  for  its  wildness,  or  for  the 


A    WINTER  NIGHT'S   TALE.  257 

bleakness  of  its  coast,  and  its  frightful  storms.  Here  Harold 
Fairhair  could  not  reach  them  ;  and  out  of  the  landlocked  fjords, 
or  arms  of  the  sea,  their  long-ships  could  r.ally  forth,  carrying 
destruction  to  the  enemy.  It  was  one  of  these  men  who  dis 
covered  America. 

"  Eirek  the  Red  had  tired  of  Iceland.  Learning  of  a  new 
country  called  Greenland,  he  had  gone  there  with  his  family  to 
settle.  In  the  long  winter  nights,  as  they  sat  about  the  fires, 
listening  to  the  wild  experiences  of  any  stranger  that  might  have 
claimed  their  hospitality,  they  heard  with  astonishment  the  tale 
of  one  Bjarni.  He  declared  that  once,  driven  by  wild  storms, 
he  had  discovered  land  far  to  the  westward.  The  coast  had 
seemed  bleak  and  unattractive  to  him  ;  and,  the  wind  hauling,  he 
had  left  it  astern,  and  sailed  back  to  Greenland. 

"  Old  Eirek  and  his  son  Leif  were  much  stirred  at  this  story. 
They  decided  that  they  would  buy  Bjarni's  ship,  and  themselves 
hunt  out  this  strange  land.  They  loaded  her  with  all  needed 
provisions,  and  with  a  crew  of  thirty-five  men,  were  just  about 
to  sail,  when  Eirek,  on  his  way  to  embark,  fell  from  his  horse. 
Regarding  this  as  an  ill  omen,  he  decided  to  stay  at  home, 
and  Leif  sailed  without  him. 

"  He  found,  after  a  few  days,  that  Bjarni's  tale  was  true  ;  for 
there  lay  the  land  before  him.  It  was  the  south-eastern  ex 
tremity  of  Newfoundland,  recognizable  to  this  day  by  their  de 
scription  :  '  a  bare,  rugged  plain,  covered  with  broad  flat  rocks.' 
Two  days  more  they  sailed  before  a  north-east  wind  ;  then,  coast 
ing  westward,  they  came,  after  a  little,  to  a  river.  Pleased  with 
the  country,  they  passed  up  the  river,  and  decided  to  winter  on 


25?  A    TIMBER-LADEN  SHIP. 

its  banks.  With  all  speed  they  built  themselves  huts :  Leifsbuder 
they  called  them.  The  river  furnished  them  the  finest  salmon  ; 
and  the  country  about  so  abounded  in  grapes,  that  they  called  it 
Vinland. 

"  Here,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  taking  down  a  chart  from  a 
rack  above  his  head,  "  this  is  the  spot.  It  is  now  called  the 
Taunton  River." 

"  Why,  it  .is  not  very  far  from  where  we    now  are,"  said  Will. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood ;  "  not  more  than  twenty-five 
miles,  as  the  crow  flies. 

"  The  winter  passed  away  quietly ;  and  in  the  spring  Leif 
loaded  his  vessel  with  timber,  and  his  long  boat  with  dried  grapes, 
and  so  went  home  again." 

"  Was  Leif  the  only  Northman  who  came  ? "  asked  Ned. 

"  No,  indeed.  Thorvald,  his  brother,  spent  two  or  three  years 
in  Vinland.  He  explored  the  coast  all  about  this  very  region 
where  we  now  are  ;  but  his  love  for  adventure  caused  his  death  ; 
for,  on  one  of  these  voyages  of  investigation,  attacked  by  a  band 
of  Skraellings  in  canoes,  he  was  slain  by  an  arrow. 

"  Thorstein  too,  a  wealthy  and  powerful  man  of  distinguished 
family,  made  a  journey  to  the  new  world  with  three  ships.  He 
planned  to  form  a  colony.  His  wife  Gudrida  went  with  him ; 
and  a  son,  Snorri,  was  no  doubt  the  first  Christian  boy  born  in 
America.  For  Leif  and  Thorvald  and  Thorstein  had  all  been 
converted  to  Christianity  a  few  years  before,  and  had  forsaken 
the  worship  of  the  wild  gods  of  the  North. 

"  But  after  three  winters  Thorstein  made  up  his  mind  that 
his  colony  was  a  failure ;  and  so,  back  he  went  to  Greenland. 


A    SECOND   THORFINN  THE  SKULLSPLITTER.  261 

He  took  with  him,  as  cargo,  all  the  wood  that  he  could  carry, 
and  sold  it  in  Norway  at  an  enormous  price.  For  a  small  piece 
of  what  was  probably  bird's-eye  maple,  he  received  about  eighty 
dollars. 

"  So  you  see,  Master  Jack,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  rising,  "  that 
Columbus  was  not  the  first  man  that  discovered  America,  though 
your  geography  does  say  so." 

The  boys  all  rose  from  the  table,  and  crowded  around  the 
chart,  to  make  out  more  plainly  the  places  Mr.  Longwood  had 
spoken  of.  After  a  little,  Jack  went  up  the  ladder,  to  see  what 
had  been  going  on  while  they  were  at  dinner.  A  moment  after, 
the  others  followed  him. 

When  they  were  in  the  open  air,  they  stopped  an  instant  to 
look  around.  The  deck  seemed  quite  deserted.  Only  Capt. 
Jackson  was  to  be  seen,  standing  at  the  wheel,  now  casting  his 
eyes  aloft  where  the  sails  were  bellied  out  by  the  fresh  wind,  and 
now  ahead,  scanning  the  coast.  All  the  rest  of  the  crew  were 
below,  forward,  where,  in  the  absence  of  any  cargo,  they  had 
hung  up  hammocks. 

"  Where  is  Jack  ?  "  the  boys  said.  "  Jack  !  Jack  !  "  but  there 
was  no  answer. 

"  Oh !  there  he  is,"  said  Will,  looking  at  the  bowsprit,  a  little 
way  out  on  which,  in  a  somewhat  dangerous  position,  Jack  sat 
cross-legged.  "Why  didn't  you  answer  us,  you  bad  boy?" 

"  I  am  not  Jack,"  said  that  youth. 

"Thorfinn  am  I, 
Skullsplitter  hight. 


262  MAN  OVERBOARD. 


Many  a  hero, 
I,  with  my  downstroke, 
Hurried  to  Valhal. 
Now,  in  my  long-ship, 
Roam  I  o'er  ocean, 
Ran  defying  "  — 

At  this,  Thorfinn  ceased  abruptly,  and  clutched  convulsively 
at  some  ropes  overhead,  to  recover  the  balance  which  he  had  lost. 
He  failed  to  reach  them,  however ;  and,  after  some  wild  struggles, 
down  he  went,  splash  into  the  water,  into  the  embrace  of  the 
goddess  he  had  been  defying. 

"  Man  overboard !  "  shouted  Ned,  bawling  down  the  hatch  to 
the  men  below. 

Will  Morgan's  coat  and  shoes  were  off  in  a  twinkling,  and 
he  was  over  the  schooner's  side  after  Jack  ;  but,  quick  as  he  was, 
he  was  hardly  in  the  water  before  Thomas  John,  who,  hearing 
Ned's  shout,  had  run  up  from  below. 

Fortunate  it  was  that  Tom  Longwood  and  the  Morgans  had 
been  brought  up  by  the  sea,  and  knew  just  what  to  do.  At  the 
first  shout,  Capt.  Jackson  had  put  the  helm  hard  down  ;  but, 
before  the  vessel's  head  had  fairly  come  around  into  the  wind, 
Tom  and  Charlie  had  lowered  the  boat,  cast  it  off,  and  were 
pulling  lustily  to  where  Will  and  Thomas  John  were  holding  up 
Jack. 

"  And  a  mighty  good  thing  it  is,"  said  Capt.  Jackson  to  him 
self,  "  that  I  had  that  boat's  tackling  overhauled.  I  am  afraid  it 
wouldn't  have  worked  so  well  a  week  ago." 

The  boat   quickly  made    its  way  to    the    unfortunate   Thorfinn, 


A   HOT  LEMONADE.  263 


and  the  three  dripping  figures  were  soon  aboard.  Jack  and  Will 
hurried  to  the  cabin,  to  get  rid  of  their  wet  clothes  ;  and  Will 
was  soon  out  again  ;  but  Mr.  Longwood  thought  that  Jack  had 
better  turn  into  one  of  the  berths  for  an  hour  or  so,  to  make 
sure  of  not  taking  cold. 

So,  after  bringing  him  a  glass  of  hot  lemonade,  they  covered 
him  up  with  blankets,  and  left  him,  bidding  him  be  a  good  little 
boy,  and  get  into  no  more  mischief. 


CHAPTER   III. 


CARCELY  had  the  sound  of  the 
boys'  retreating  footsteps  died  away, 
when  Capt.  Jackson's  burly  form 
appeared.  The  captain,  as  we  have 
said  before,  was  a  man  of  few 
words.  He  nodded  to  Jack,  and, 
seating  himself  at  the  table,  proceeded 
to  do  justice  to  the  food  before  him. 
Jack  watched  with  silent  astonishment 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  contents  of  the 
dishes  disappeared.  Silence,  however,  was 
not  his  strong  point.  So  he  raised  himself  upon  his  elbow,  and 
proceeded  to  open  conversation. 

"  What  is  Montauk,  anyway,  captain  ?  "    he  asked. 
"  Montauk,"   said    Capt.   Jackson,    pausing   with    his    fork    half 
way  to    his  mouth,   "Why,  Montauk    is  —  Montauk;    the  east  end 
of   Long  Island,  you  know." 

"Yes,"  said  Jack;    "but  what  is  it?" 

"Well,"  said    the    captain,    "it's    a    fine    rolling    country;    pas 
tures  a  sight    of   stock.     There   must    be  a    good    many  thousand 
cattle  and    sheep  on  it.     There    used    to    be    a    tribe    of   Indians, 
264 


AN  INTERRUPTED    WEDDING.  265 

but  they  are  about  gone.  Hardly  a  dozen  are  left  of  them 
all." 

"And  do  the  Indians  own  it?" 

"Oh,  no!"  said  the  captain.  "It  happened  this  way:  Wyan- 
dance  was  the  sachem  of  the  Montauks,  and  all  the  other  tribes 
on  Long  Island  were  subject  to  him.  But  at  Block  Island,  and 
on  the  main  land,  there  was  a  tribe,  the  Narragansetts,  that  was 
more  powerful  still.  Ninigret  was  their  sachem's  name ;  and  he 
made  things  so  uncommonly  hot  for  the  Montauks,  that  they 
hardly  slept  o'  nights.  Why,  at  one  time,  Wyandance's  daughter 
was  gettin'  married,  when  in  walked  the  Narragansetts,  without 
so  much  as  sayin'  '  By  your  leave,'  killed  the  groom  and  half 
the  company,  and  carried,  the  bride  off  to  Block  Island. 

"Well,  one  of  these  war-parties  of  Ninigret's  made  them 
selves  so  very  much  at  home,  that  the  Montauks  concluded  they 
would  go  down  to  Easthampton,  and  see  if  the  settlers  there 
would  not  protect  them.  So  down  they  went :  the  white  men 
let  them  stay,  and  the  Narragansetts  dared  not  attack  them 
there.  The  result  of  it  all  was  a  big  document,  wherein,  for  the 
love  they  bore  their  white  brethren,  they  did  grant  and  convey 
all  Montauk  to  those  white  brethren,  only  reservin'  the  right  to 
hunt  and  fish,  and  live  on  the  land.  The  document  says  that  it 
was  the  Indians'  own  idee  to  make  over  all  the  property ;  but  I 
take  notice  that  it  wasn't  in  Indian  handwriting  that  the  deed 
was  made." 

"  I  wish  I  could    get  up,"  said   Jack,  as  the  captain  started  to 

g°- 

"  Let    me    have    a    look    at    you,"    said    that    worthy.     "  I    am 


266  CAPTAIN  JACKSON'S  SURGERY. 

somethin'  of  a  doctor.  I  once  performed  a  surgical  operation 
on  one  of  my  men,  —  took  off  a  crushed  finger." 

"How  did  you  do  it?"    asked  Jack. 

"  Hammer  and  chisel,"  said  the  captain  concisely.  "  So,"  he 
went  on,  taking  Jack's  hand,  "  pulse  steady,  skin  cool :  why,  you 
are  all  right !  I'll  speak  to  Mr.  Longwood  when  I  get  on  deck, 
and  have  you  up  in  no  time." 

The  captain  was  as  good  as  his  word ;  for,  in  a  moment,  Ned 
Grant  shouted  down  to  him,  "Jack!  I  say,  Jack!  get  up!" 

"  Come  down,  and  stay  with  me  while  I  dress,"  called  Jack. 

"  Can't  be  done,"  said  Ned :  "  too  much  going  on  up  here. 
Hurry  up  !  " 

Spurred  by  this,  Jack  hurried  as  never  before ;  and  in  five 
minutes  was  running  across  the  deck  to  join  the  others,  button 
ing  the  last  button  as  he  came. 

He  was  just  in  time  to  see  close  beside  them  a  boat  such  as 
the  fishermen  on  all  the  Long-Island  shore  use  when  they  put 
off  through  the  surf  to  draw  the  seine.  Two  men  were  in  it. 
One  was  examining  a  lobster-pot,  which  he  had  just  drawn  to 
the  surface,  and  out  of  which  he  was  pulling  a  reluctant  victim  ; 
while  the  other  was  keeping  the  boat's  head  to  the  wind,  for 
the  sea  was  rising  before  a  light  gale,  and  the  spray  every  now 
and  then  dashed  over  her  bow,  sprinkling  them  both  thoroughly. 

"  It  is  wonderful  how  strong  those  boats  are,"  said  Will. 
"They  can  live  in  almost  any  sea.  —  Isn't  that  so?"  he  asked, 
turning  to  one  of  the  sailors  who  stood  close  by. 

"  I  know  a  time  when  I  was  mighty  glad  to  get  out  of  one," 
said  the  man. 


/  WAS  DIGGING  IN  THE  GARDEN. 


"  When  was  it  ?  Tell  us  about  it,"  said  the  boys,  scenting  a 
story,  and  closing  up  about  him. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  it  was  one  May.  I  was  at  my  house 
—  think  I  was  digging  in  the  garden.  Yes,"  he  said  medita 
tively,  stroking  his  chin  ;  "  am  sure  I  was  digging  in  the  garden. 
I  remember  I  was  putting  in  Early-Rose  potatoes.  Most  ex 
traordinary  thing,  the  yield  I  had  with  them  potatoes.  I  never 
yet  saw  their  like." 

"  But  the  boat,"1  interrupted  Charlie. 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  the  man.  "  Wrell,  along  the  road,  coming 
toward  me,  I  saw  that  boy  of  Jared  Wilsey's,  shouting,  '  Whale  f 
whale  f  '  I  never  knew  a  boy  like  that.  His  tongue  is  hung  in 
the  middle,  and  clatters  at  both  ends  all  day  long.  They  say  he 
even  talks  in  his  sleep.  And  there's  his  father  and  mother,  the 
silentest  people  in  the  whole  town." 

"  And  did  he  see  the  whale  first  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Yes  :  he  seen  her  spouting,  close  in  shore.  So*  down  a 
lot  of  us  ran  ;  and  we  manned  four  boats,  and  after  a  short  chase 
we  killed  her,  about  three  mile  out.  But  no  sooner  was  she 
dead,  than  the  critter  sank.  So  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to 
make  her  fast  to  an  anchor,  and  wait  for  her  to  rise. 

"  The  man  on  the  lookout,  two  days  after,  saw,  at  sunrise, 
that  she  had  risen,  and  was  drifting  eastward,  because  the  anchor- 

o 

rope  was  too  short.  The  others  were  sure  it  was  long  enough  ; 
but  I  knew  'twa'n't  ;  "  and  the  man  shut  his  jaws  with  a  snap,  as 
if  there  were  no  more  to  be  said  on  the  subject,  and  relapsed 
into  silence. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Will. 


27° 


BLOWING  GREAT  GUNS. 


"  Eh  ?  Oh,  yes  !  Two  boats  went  off,  and  they  saw  her  fairly 
anchored  this  time.  Then  they  started  for  shore,  on  a  double- 
quick,  for  the  fog  shut  in,  and  the  surf  got  up  ;  and  mighty 
thankful  they  were  when  they  were  safely  on  land  again. 

"  Next  day  it  was  blowing  great  guns  from  the  sou'west,  and 
no  boat  could  live.  The  whale  dragged  anchor,  and  went  off 


BRINGING  DOWN  A  BOAT. 


before  the  wind.  We  heard  of  her  near  Easthampton,  and  how 
parties  there  were  going  to  get  her  as  soon  as  the  sea  went 
down.  That  was  more  than  we  could  stand.  Some  one  called  for 
volunteers  ;  and  a  crew  was  made  up.  The  surf  was  tremen 
dous,  and  things  looked  squally  enough.  I  more'n  half  expected 
our  boat  would  be  staved  before  she  got  afloat.  However,  at 


BAREFOOTED,  IN  OUR  SHIRT-SLEEVES.  271 

last  we  were  off,  with  only  a  wetting.  But  outside  we  found 
the  sea  so  heavy,  that  we  were  afraid  the  boat  would  be  swamped. 
We  were  in  a  sorry  plight,  —  afraid  to  go  ahead,  and  afraid  to 
go  back.  As  good  luck  would  have  it,  we  seen,  a  mile  or  so 
ahead,  a  schooner  belonging  to  the  Coast  Wrecking  Company. 
We  pulled  for  dear  life,  and  got  aboard,  and  at  last  worried  our 
boat  up  on  to  her  deck.  A  thankful  man  was  I,  when  I  had 
something  thicker  than  inch  plank  under  me." 

"  And  what  became  of  the  whale  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  We  borrowed  the  schooner,  and  went  after  her,"  said  the 
man  ;  "  took  her  in  tow,  and  started  back.  But  the  wind  all  at 
once  hauled  to  the  east,  and  blew  a  gale.  Snap  went  the  tow- 
rope,  and  off  went  the  whale  again.  By  this  time  we  had  all 
the  whale  we  wanted,  for  things  looked  ticklish  for  the  schooner. 
We  didn't  dare  risk  her  on  the  coast  any  longer,  so  she  scudded 
before  the  gale  ;  and  next  day  we  turned  up  in  New- York  har 
bor,  barefooted,  in  our  shirt-sleeves,  ninety  miles  from  home, 
without  a  cent  in  our  pockets.  By  good  luck,  we  had  friends 
there  :  so  we  borrowed  some  money,  and  came  back  by  railroad." 

"  And  did  you  lose  the  whale,  after  all  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  No  :  she  went  ashore,  a  ways  west.  We  cut  her  up,  and 
cleared  nine  hundred  dollars  from  her." 

"What  land  is  that?"  asked  Jack,  as  the  man  turned  away. 
"  Is  it  an  island  ?  " 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  is  Gardiner's  Island.  When 
Capt.  Kidd  was  roving  the  seas,  chasing  and  burning  every  ill- 
fated  ship  that  he  met,  he  stopped  at  Gardiner's  Island  on  his 
way  homeward  to  Boston,  after  a  cruise  in  the  Spanish  Main, 


272 


MRS.    GARDINER  ROASTS  A    SUCKING-PIG. 


where  was  the  scene  of  his  chief  exploits.  He  summoned  Gardi 
ner,  and  in  his  presence  buried  a  chest  of  treasure,  telling  him 
that  he  should  hold  him  personally  responsible  for  its  safe  keep 
ing.  Then  he  ordered  Mrs.  Gardiner  to  roast  him  some  sucking- 
pig  for  dinner.  She  must  have  been  an  excellent  cook  ;  for  he 


KIDD  AFTER  A   MERCHANTMAN. 


was  so  pleased  with  the  dish,  that  he  presented  her  with  a  quan 
tity  of  cloth-of-gold,  after  which  he  sailed  away  to  Boston.  His 
treasure  did  him  little  good  though,  for  hardly  had  he  reached 
port  before  he  was  seized." 


GARDINER  HAS  CHILLS  O'   NIGHTS.  273 

"  What  became  of   it  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  Gov.  Bellamont  heard  of  his  having  buried  it ;  so  he  sent 
commissioners  from  Massachusetts  to  recover  the  spoil.  Gardi 
ner  delivered  it  up,  and  it  was  taken  away ;  but  I  imagine  the 
good  man  had  many  a  chill  at  the  thought  that  perhaps  the  old 
freebooter  might  yet  escape,  and  come  back  to  claim  his  own, 
and  that  he  was  a  happy  man  when  he  heard,  about  two  years 
after,  that  Kidd  had  been  hung  in  chains  at  Execution  Dock,  in 
London." 

"  I  wonder  he  did  not  try  to  keep  it  for  himself,"  said  Ned. 
"  Was  it  very  great  ?  " 

"  Yes  :  there  were  some  thirteen  bags,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  They  contained  gold  and  silver,  coined,  in  bars,  and  in  dust. 
There  were,  beside,  precious  stones  and  jewels.  It  is  not  pleas 
ant  to  think  of  the  bloody  deeds  by  which  it  was  got  together." 

"  Why,  Jack,"  said  Ned  suddenly,  looking  at  him,  "  how  pale 
you  are  about  the  gills !  I  do  believe  you  are  going  to  be  sea 
sick." 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Jack  indignantly. 

"  There  certainly  is  a  great  deal  more  motion  than  there  was 
an  hour  or  two  ago,  and  the  wind  is  much  fresher,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood. 

"  The  schooner's  empty,"  said  Capt.  Jackson,  who  had  come 
up  just  at  that  moment.  "  If  she  had  a  cargo  aboard,  she'd  be 
much  steadier.  I  have  an  idea,"  he  went  on,  "  that  a  storm  is 
brewing.  The  barometer  is  falling  fast,  and  I  don't  like  the  looks 
of  things  altogether ;  "  and  he  cast  his  eyes  in  a  weather-wise 
fashion  at  the  sky,  and  then  at  the  horizon.  "  I  shouldn't  won 
der  if  we  had  a  nasty  night." 


274  THE  MAVIS  IS  DESERTED. 

"  That's  not  a  very  pleasant  prospect,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  I  consider  myself  a  fair  sailor  ;  but  I  must  confess  that  I  like 
to  sleep  in  a  bed  that  is  moderately  still." 

"  Well,  there's  nothing  easier  than  to  have  a  quiet  night," 
said  the  captain.  "  We  can  run  into  Fort  Pond  Bay,  and  anchor. 
There's  no  safer  harbor  on  the  coast,  when  the  wind  is  east." 

"  Fort  Pond  Bay,  then,  let  it  be,  by  all  means.  Let  us  look 
at  the  chart  in  the  cabin,  boys,  and  see  just  where  it  is,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood. 

Then  it  was,  when  all  heads  were  bent  over  the  chart,  that  a 
brilliant  idea  came  to  Jack.  "  Why !  House  No.  2,  where  Mrs. 
Longwood  and  the  girls  were  to  spend  the  night,  was  at  Fort 
Pond.  The  island  looks  very  narrow  there,  on  the  chart.  I  don't 
believe  it  can  be  more  than  a  mile  wide.  What  fun  it  would 
be  to  walk  across,  and  surprise  them  !  I  am  going  to  ask  Thomas 
John  about  it." 

Thomas  John  pronounced  the  plan  entirely  feasible  ;  and  so 
it  turned  out,  that  when,  in  the  gathering  dusk,  "  The  Mavis " 
dropped  her  anchor  in  the  quiet  waters  of  the  bay,  our  party 
made  haste  to  disembark  ;  and  Capt.  Jackson  and  his  men,  while 
they  were  making  all  snug  for  the  night,  saw  them  disappear 
across  the  moors  in  single  file,  Thomas  John  at  their  head  as 
pilot. 

Meantime,  at  House  No.  2,  toward  which  our  friends  were 
striding,  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  had  arrived,  and  had  just 
finished  their  supper.  They  were  now  all  standing  in  the  little 
porch  facing  the  sea.  It  seemed,  in  the  dim  twilight,  as  if  the 
ocean  which  was  thundering  so  angrily  on  the  sands,  but  a  few 


A   SCENE  AT  TWILIGHT. 


275 


hundred    feet   away,    might   suddenly   come   rushing   forward,   and 
sweep  them  ail  to  destruction. 

As  they  looked  to  the  east,  they  could  catch  the    fitful   gleam 


276  AN  INDIAN  STORY. 


of  the  spray  that  lined  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  where  the  waves 
were  lashed  to  fury.  Far  out  at  sea  glimmered  the  solitary  light 
of  a  passing  vessel ;  but  over  the  moorlands  all  about  them, 
there  was  nothing  but  the  dull  gray  of  coming  night.  The 
nearest  house  was  four  miles  away. 

"  What  a  dreadfully  lonely  place !  "  said  Gertrude.  "  I  am 
going  into  the  house.  I  should  soon  see  ghosts,  or  Indians,  or 
some  more  horrible  things,  if  I  stayed  out." 

"  You  are  as  bad  as  the  farmer's  lass,"  said  Carrie,  as  they 
all  followed  her.  "  Did  you  ever  hear  of  her  ? 

When  autumn  nights  grow  sharp  and  chill, 

And  cold  white  mists  the  valleys  fill, 

The  farmer's  lass  at  the  window-pane 

Starts  back  in  fright,  yet  peers  again ; 

For  she  sees,  by  the  pale  light  the  moon  doth  yield, 

Red  Indians  crouching  in  the  field. 

'  Injuns,  father  ! '  she  cries,  and  flees 

To  a  refuge  safe  on  her  father's  knees. 

» 

The  farmer's  laugh  rings  loud  and  free  ; 

'  Indians  they  are,  in  truth,'  says  he ; 

'  But  wait  till  once  comes  the  rising  sun, 

And  we'll  take  them  prisoners,  every  one  ; 

We'll  beat  them  with  clubs,  and  we'll  grind  their  bones 

To  the  finest  flour,  through  the  old  millstones ; 

And  we'll  eat  them  smoking  hot,'  laughs  he ; 

'  For  they're  buckwheat  Indians  a  that  you  see.'  " 

1  For  the  benefit  of  such  of  my  readers  as  are  not  versed  in  farmers'  ways,  I  will  sav~ 
that  the  sheaves' of  buckwheat  left  standing  in  the  field  are  known  as  "Injuns." 


HUGH 7    BIG  lAJUNf  277 


As  Carrie  finished  the  last  line,  she  turned  toward  the  door, 
and  gave  a  little  scream  ;  for  there,  apparently,  stood  an  Indian. 
He  had  about  his  shoulders  an  old,  worn  buffalo-robe  loosely 
thrown.  His  face  was  concealed  by  the  robe,  but  through  his 
dishevelled  hair  they  could  see  a  couple  of  arrows  sticking.  From 
this  disreputable  figure  came  a  voice  that  said,  — 

"  You  callee,  he  comee.  Plentee  hungry,  this  fellow.  Hugh  ! 
big  Injun  !  " 

As  for  Gertrude,  at  these  words  she  disappeared  like  a  flash 
through  the  door  that  led  to  the  dining-room  ;  nor  did  she  pause 
in  her  flight  till  she  reached  the  kitchen.  There,  finding  a  man 
calmly  sitting  by  the  fire,  smoking  his  pipe,  I  will  not  say  that, 
like  the  farmer-lass,  she  found  a  refuge  safe  on  his  knees,  but 
she  certainly  did  seize  him  by  the  arm,  and  hold  on  very  tightly. 

Carrie,  on  the  other  hand,  looked  at  the  Indian  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  rushing  forward,  seized  the  buffalo-robe,  and,  dragging 
it  from  his  shoulders,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Jack !  you  wicked  boy,  to  frighten  your  sister !  Where  in 
the  world  did  you  come  from  ?  and  where  are  the  rest  ?  " 

A  shout  of  laughter  from  without  answered  Carrie's  question  ; 
and  the  next  moment  all  were  shaking  hands  together  in  the 
little  sitting-room. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


AFTER  a  little,  when  the 
buffalo-robe,  which  Jack  had 
filched  from  a  wagon  at  the 
stable,  had  been  returned  to  its 
place,  and  a  second  supper  had 
been  hurriedly  prepared,  the  boys 
and  Mr.  Longwood  hastened  to 
the  dining-room,  to  fall  upon  it. 
The  girls  all  followed,  and  sat 
at  the  long  table,  by  way  of 
helping  them  to  the  various 
dishes. 

"  Dear  me !  "  said  Carrie, 
after  a  little,  during  which  there 
had  not  been  a  sound,  except 
of  knives  and  forks :  "  this  is 
dreadful.  Not  a  word  has  one 

of  these  boys  spoken  for  five  minutes,  and  Ned  has 
had  four  slices  of  bread  already.  I  know,  for  I 
passed  him  the  plate.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  a 
zoological  garden,  tossing  buns  to  a  bear.  Do,  seme 
of  you,  tell  us  your  adventures." 


278 


HAUL   THE  KEEL  ABOARD.  279 

"  Jack  fell  overboard,"  said  Ned  concisely. 

"  What  a  story !  "  cried  each  of  the  girls.  "  It  isn't  true ! 
—  Did  he  fall  overboard,  Mr.  Longwood  ?  " 

"  He  certainly  did,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  O  Jack  !  "  they  said  :  "  how  frightened  you  must  have  been  ! 
Wasn't  it  dreadful  ?  " 

"  It  was  an  awful  moment,"  said  that  young  man,  with  his 
mouth  full  of  bread  and  butter.  "  But  above  the  gurgling  of 
the  waters  in  my  ears,  as  I  sank,  I  heard  the  deep  voice  of  Capt. 
Jackson  shouting,  '  Avast !  All  hands  holystone  the  deck,  and 
haul  the  keel  aboard,'  and  then  I  knew  that  I  was  safe." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  when  the  laugh  had  died 
out,  "  Master  Jack  had  a  very  narrow  escape  ;  and  I  fear  that, 
had  not  Will  Morgan  and  Thomas  John  come  so  promptly  to  his 
help,  Capt.  Jackson's  command  to  haul  the  keel  aboard  would 
hardly  have  saved  him." 

Jack's  eyes  glistened  as  he  looked  toward  Will ;  and  I  am 
quite  certain  that  a  very  thankful  heart  beat  under  his  jacket, 
and  that  his  nonsense  was  only  put  on  to  conceal  his  real 
feelings. 

"It  is  hardly  fair  to  make  us  talk  now,"  said  Charlie.  "  You 
should  tell  us  of  your  exploits.  Begin,  Rose.  What  has  hap 
pened  ?  Did  you  meet  with  any  dragons,  and  did  a  gallant  knight 
deliver  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Rose  :  "  there  were  neither  dragons  nor  knights  ; 
and  we  had  a  much  nicer  time  than  if  there  had  been.  We  had 
the  crisp  September  air  overhead,  and  the  rustling  of  the  early 
fallen  leaves  as  we  passed  through  the  woods,  and  every  little 


280 


A   PITCHER   OF  MILK. 


while  we  came  to  a  view  of  the  sea  that  was  enough  to  take 
one's  breath  away.  And  half  of  the  time  some  of  us  were  out 
of  the  wagon,  running  on  ahead,  or  gathering  asters  by  the 
roadside." 


A    WALK    BY    THE    WAY. 


"  Oh,  yes !  "  broke  in  Lou  ;  "  and  we  stopped  at  the  prettiest 
little  house  ;  and  Carrie  went  in  to  get  us  some  water,  and,  after 
being  gone  about  ten  minutes,  came  out  with  a  great  pitcher  of 
milk.  How  good  it  tasted !  What  in  the  world  kept  you  so 
long,  Carrie  ?  I  meant  to  ask  at  the  time,  but  the  sight  of  the 
milk  put  it  all  out  of  my  mind." 


A    SAILOR'S  LULLABY.  281 


"  The  woman  was  singing  a  lullaby  to  her  baby,"  said  Carrie  ; 
"  and  I  persuaded  her  to  sing  it  again,  while  I  took  down  the 
words. 

When  waves  are  wild, 
And  the  winds  are  out, 

And,  'mid  the  blinding  spray, 
The  good  ship,  staggering,  leaps  on, 

Where  do  the  sailors  stay? 

High  up  aloft 

On  the  swaying  yards, 

Like  birds  on  an  elm-tree  bough, 
Little  they  heed  the  tossing  sea 

Breaking  about  their  prow. 

When  night  comes  on, 
O'er  the  darkening  sea, 

Like  birds  in  their  wind-tossed  nest, 
Each  in  his  swinging  hammock  lies, 

Rocked  by  the  winds  to  rest. 

"  The  woman  said  that  her  husband  was  a  sailor,"  went  on 
Carrie  ;  "  and  that  he  had  been  away  more  than  a  year  on  a 
whaling-ship  in  the  Arctic  seas.  She  did  not  expect  him  back 
for  another  year.  And,  oh,  papa !  she  had  some  old  blue-and- 
white  cups  and  saucers  on  a  little  shelf,  that  you  would  have 
liked  to  have.  She  said  that  her  father  brought  them  home  from 
China,  many  and  many  a  year  ago.  I  was  so  much  interested 
in  talking  to  her,  that  I  almost  forgot  that  the  others  were  wait 
ing  for  me  outside." 


282 


AN  OLD  DUTCH  CHEST-OF-DRAWERS. 


"  I  must  look  that  place  up,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  much 
interested. 

"  Papa,  you  must  know,"  said  Tom,  "  is  a  great  collector.  If 
he  can  only  coax  his  way  into  the  attic  of  some  of  these  old 
houses,  he  is  perfectly  happy.  He  is  sure  to  come  home  with  a 


WAITING  FOR  CARRIE. 


curious  pair  of  fire-dogs,  or  perhaps  an  old  Dutch  chest-of- 
drawers,  or  some  old  china.  The  people  all  about  have  come 
to  know  him;  and  they  think  —  well,  not  to  put  too  fine  a 
point  on  it,  they  think  him  a  little  weak  in  his  mind.  And 
then,  some  fancy  that  they  have  only  to  show  him  something 


A   HAUL   OF  MENHADEN.  283- 

old,  for  him  to  buy  it.  One  woman  actually  tried  to  sell  him  an 
old  broken-down  iron  caster,  because  it  was  a  hundred  years  old-,, 
and  another  talked  him  into  buying  a  corset-board." 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  laughed  Mr.  Longwood  ;  "  but  there  were  a  dozen 
old  Nankeen  cups    and    saucers    in   that    house,  and    I  wanted    to 
get  into  the  old  lady's  good  graces  ;   and  so  I  bought  the  corset 
board." 

"  What  is  a  corset-board,  pray  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 

"  In  the  old  days,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood,  "  before  steels  were 
used,  corsets  were  laced  up  behind  ;  and,  to  keep  them  in  shape, 
a  thin  board  of  proper  shape  was  inserted  in  front.  The  one 
Mr.  Longwood  has  is  chased,  and  is  really  quite  elaborate." 

"  I  suppose  you  took  dinner  at  Easthampton,"  said  Charlie. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Kate.  "  It  was  just  after  eleven  when  we 
reached  there.  We  found  that  we  had  quite  two  hours  before 
dinner ;  so,  after  seeing  John  and  Andrew  set  out  for  home,  and 
leaving  all  our  wraps  to  be  put  into  the  stage  that  was  to  bring 
us  on,  we  strolled  down  to  the  beach.  It  was  very  exciting ; 
for  a  school  of  menhaden  were  close  in  shore,  and  the  fishermen 
were  bringing  down  their  boat.  We  watched  them  go  off,  cast 
the  seine,  and  draw  it." 

"  Did  they  have  a  good  haul  ? "  asked  Jack. 

"  Not  very,"  said  Kate  ;  "  for  the  fish  mostly  escaped  through 
a  hole  in  the  net.  The  men  said  that  a  shark  had  been  caught, 
and  had  been  strong  enough  to  break  his  way  through.  They 
spread  the  net  out  on  the  sand  ;  and  the  hole  was  there,  sure 
enough." 

"  Proceed  with  your  narration,"  said  Ned,  as  Kate  paused. 


284 


A   SATANIC  LEGEND. 


"  Well,  after  dinner  we  set  out  in  a  stage  ;  and  our  driver 
•was  quite  a  character.  He  told  us  why  there  are  no  stones  on 
Long  Island." 

"  Because  it  is  a  sandbank  washed  up  by  the  ocean,"  inter 
rupted  Jack.  "  I  knew  as  much  as  that." 


OVERHAULING  THE    NET. 


"  Not  at  all,"  said  Carrie.  "  He  said,  that,  before  the  first 
settlers  came,  Long  Island  was  full  of  great  bowlders.  Connecti 
cut,  however,  had  not  a  stone  in  it,  and  was  a  lovely  country. 


A   SHOWER   OF  STONES.  285 

But  it  belonged  to  the  Devil,  and  was,  in  fact,  his  own  peculiar 
garden.  One  Sunday,  Satan  thought  he  would  visit  his  fair 
domain,  which  he  had  not  seen  for  some  time.  The  first  thing 
that  his  eyes  lighted  on  was  a  Puritan  meeting-house.  He  drew 
near,  to  see  what  it  could  be,  and  heard  the  loud  voice  of  the 
dominie  praying.  Now,  prayer  is  the  one  thing  that  Satan  cannot 
stand.  It  always  puts  him  to  flight.  So  he  clapped  his  hands 
over  his  ears,  and  fled  across  to  Long  Island,  where  he  sat  him 
down  to  think.  But,  the  more  he  thought,  the  more  angry  he 
grew  ;  and  presently  he  worked  himself  up  to  such  a  pitch,  that 
he  seized  all  the  bowlders,  and  hurled  them  across  the  Sound  to 
Connecticut.  And,  if  you  don't  believe  the  story,"  said  Carrie, 
"  you  can  go  to  Connecticut,  and  see  them." 

"  It  was  a  long  ride  over  the  Napeague  meadows,"  said 
Kate ;  "  and  we  tried  to  get  our  driver  to  tell  us  some  other 
story,  to  shorten  the  way.  For  six  miles  and  more,  the  sand 
was  so  heavy  that  our  horses  could  go  no  faster  than  a  walk.  I 
never  saw  such  a  picture  of  desolation.  Great  wastes  of  drifting 
sand  were  on  one  side,  with  here  and  there  a  peep  at  the  sea 
through  the  dunes,  and,  on  the  other,  long  stretches  of  marshes,, 
with  sea-birds  rising  from  them." 

"  You  forget  the  mosquitoes,"  said  Rose  :  "  there  were  mil 
lions  of  them." 

"  I  am  not  likely  to  forget  them  in  a  hurry,"  said  Kate  rue 
fully. 

"And  did  not  your  driver  tell  you  any  other  story?"  asked 
Mr.  Longwood. 

"No,"    said    Lou.       "The   best   he    could    think    of    was    how 


286 


A   HUNDRED  PLOVER  IN  ONE  DAY. 


Col.    Somebody-or-other   went    shooting    on    the    Montauk    moors 
last  autumn,  and  bagged  a  hundred  plover  in  a  single  day." 

"  That  certainly  was  a  sad  falling-off,  after  so  brilliant  a  be 
ginning  as  the  bowlder  story,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  There  were 
:some  quite  exciting  scenes  all  about  here  in  Revolutionary  days. 


After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  when  the  defeated  patriot  troops 
had  made  good  their  escape  to  the  mainland,  the  whole  island 
fell  under  the  British  sway.  And  a  great  thing  it  was  for  the 
British,  too,  that  they  did  get  possession  of  it  ;  for  it  was  the 
garden  whence  all  the  provisions  for  the  army  at  New  York 
•came.  The  Tories  were  only  too  glad  to  get  high  prices  for  their 


A    WHALE-BOAT  WARFARE.  287 

cattle  and  produce  at  the  New- York  market ;  and,  if  the  unwill 
ing  patriots  did  not  appear,  a  summary  order  from  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  enforced  by  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  directing  their 
cattle  to  be  brought  in  at  once  for  sale,  under  penalty  of  imme 
diate  seizure,  soon  brought  the  helpless  men  to  terms.  Great 
quantities  of  wood,  too,  were  cut  from  the  Montauk  lands,  and 
carried  off  in  sloops  to  New  York,  for  barracks  and  for  fire 
wood. 

"  But  the  British  did  not  have  every  thing  their  own  way. 
Of  course,  all  who  had  been  leaders  among  the  Americans  knew, 
after  that  unfortunate  battle,  that  matters  would  go  hard  with 
them,  if  Sir  Henry  Clinton  once  got  them  in  his  clutches.  So 
they  lost  no  time  in  escaping.  They  took  their  wives  and  their 
children,  and  such  of  their  household  effects  as  they  could  get 
together,  and,  hurrying  them  into  whale-boats,  crossed  the  Sound, 
and  found  a  refuge  in  Connecticut.  And  then  began  a  guerilla 
warfare.  The  farms  of  those  who  fled  were  often  given  to  some 
prominent  Tory,  as  a  reward.  But  few  dared  take  possession 
of  them.  He  who  did,  presently  received  a  notice  to  leave  if 
he  would  save  his  life.  If  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  warning,  he 
was  visited,  some  dark  and  stormy  night,  by  a  party  of  armed 
men.  They  had  crossed  the  Sound  in  whale-boats,  under  the 
leadership,  perhaps,  of  the  former  owner  of  the  lands  ;  and  they 
made  small  matter  of  burning  the  house  over  the  ill-starred 
loyalist's  head. 

"  Many  of  those  who  did  not  take  flight  to  Connecticut  were 
secretly  in  sympathy  with  the  patriots.  They  gave  them  informa 
tion  as  to  the  proper  time  for  armed  parties  to  make  midnight 


2 88  SO,   BOSSY!    SO,  BOSSY! 

journeys  in  whale-boats  across  the  Sound.  They  even  bought 
goods  in  the  New- York  markets,  which  were  sent  across  to  Con 
necticut  by  these  same  whale-boats,  thus  bringing  substantial  aid 
to  the  patriots. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  there  were  Tories  on  the  mainland,  who 
much  preferred  good  British  gold  pieces  to  the  depreciated  Con 
tinental  money,  and  who  smuggled  their  cattle  across  to  Long 
Island,  where  some  agent  was  sure  to  take  them  off  their  hands 
at  once.  I  remember  a  story  of  two  men  who  tried  to  take  a 
fat  steer  across  in  this  way.  They  tied  him  fast,  so  that  he  could 
not  struggle,  and  laid  him  in  the  bottom  of  a  whale-boat,  and 
then,  starting  out  as  soon  as  darkness  came,  pulled  manfully 
away  for  Long  Island. 

"  All  went  well  till  they  got  half-way  across  ;  and  then  a  rope 
came  unfast,  so  that  the  animal's  hind-legs  were  loosened.  The 
beast  struck  out  so  vigorously,  that  the  man  in  the  stern  had  to 
jump  about  with  the  greatest  activity,  to  prevent  his  back  and 
legs  from  being  broken.  Encouraged  by  this  partial  success,  the 
animal  made  such  play  with  his  horns,  that  the  man  in  the  bow 
lost  no  time  in  scrambling  from  his  seat  also.  In  this  way  they 
passed  the  night  in  the  middle  of  the  Sound,  one  man  in  the 
extreme  bow,  and  one  in  the  extreme  stern,  and  between  them 
an  active  young  steer,  threatening  to  stave  in  the  boat,  and  sink 
them  at  any  moment." 

"  I  think  I  see  them  now,"  said  Jack  ecstatically.  " '  So, 
bossy !  so,  bossy  !  '  says  one  ;  and  then  he  steps  forward,  to  catch 
an  end  of  the  rope,  when  away  go  the  heels,  and  back  he  scur 
ries.  What  larks !  " 


A   SKELETON  STORY.  289 


"  What  was  the  end  of  it  all  ? "  asked  Will. 

"  A  patriot  cruiser  was  in  sight  at  daylight.  The  men  had 
no  choice  but  to  surrender ;  and  the  unruly  steer  was  speedily 
taken  on  board,  where  the  sailors  highly  praised  his  good  taste 
in  refusing  to  be  eaten  by  the  enemies  of  his  country." 

"  Those  must  have  been  wonderfully  exciting  times,"  said 
Will.  "  What  a  chance  for  a  few  brave  men,  by  some  daring 
deed,  to  gain  a  name  !  " 

'  There  was  one  such  man,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  who  must 
have  had  quite  a  reputation  at  the  time,  though  he  has  long 
since  been  forgotten.  I  noticed,  on  a  shelf  in  the  other  room, 
while  we  were  waiting  for  supper,  a  book  which,  if  it  be  the 
one  I  think  it,  is  made  up  of  extracts  from  the  newspapers  at 
the  time  of  the  Revolution.  Will  you  get  it  for  me,  Carrie, 
please  ?  It  is  called  '  Revolutionary  Incidents  of  Long  Island.' 
Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as  he  took  the  book ;  "  it  is  as  I 
thought.  I  will  read  you  a  few  extracts  which  give  you,  as  it 
were,  the  skeleton  of  the  man's  story.  You  can  fill  out  the 
details  from  your  imagination.  Here  is  the  first  mention  I  find 
of  him.  It  is  from  a  patriot  paper  :  — 

"'E.  Dayton,  under  Capt.  John  Clark,  by  order  of  Putnam,  seized,  Apl.  '77, 
a  wagon  &  goods  on  Long  Island,  the  property  of  Oba  Wright,  of  Saybrook.' 

"  The  next  is  from  a  New- York  Tory  paper :  — 

"'Sunday  night,  loth  inst.  (May,  '78),  2  whale-boats,  7  men  in  each,  came 
to  Blue  Point,  &  took  thence  5  boats  lying  there  with  oysters.  This  party  was 
commanded  by  one  Dayton,  from  Corum,  &  were  all  well  armed.  They  brought 
their  boats  from  the  N.  side  of  the  Island,  and  sent  their  prizes  to  N.  London. 


29°  A   PEDDLER   TURNS  PRIVATEER. 

The  head  of  the   banditti  who    captured   the   five  vessels   thus   loaded  with   lumber 
-&  produce,  was  Ebenezer  Dayton,  a  noted  pedler  who  lately  lived  at  Corum." 

"  The  next  dates  from  New  London,  the  port  to  which  nearly 
all  prizes  taken  by  the  Americans  were  sent :  — 

"'NEW  LONDON,  May  15.  —  Sunday  night  last,  2  boats,  under  the  command 
of  Capt.  Dayton  &  Chester,  with  14  men  in  both,  went  to  L.  I.,  and,  carrying 
one  of  the  boats  across  a  narrow  part  of  the  island  at  S.  Hampton,  they  went 
about  sixty  miles  up  the  S.  side  of  the  island  to  Fire  Island  Inlet,  &  took  pos 
session  of  5  sail  of  coasting  vessels  which  lay  there,  laden  with  lumber,  oysters, 
household  furniture,  dry  goods,  provisions,  &c.  The  prizes  are  all  safe  airived. 
More  might  have  been  brought  off,  could  they  have  manned  them.' 

"  The  records  of  the  Maritime  Court  have  preserved  the  names 
of  these  unfortunate  vessels.  They  were  the  '  Peggy,'  '  Polly,' 
*  George/  '  Dalancey,'  and  '  Jacob  ; '  and  the  proceeds  of  their 
sale  no  doubt  helped  mightily  to  fill  the  empty  pockets  of  Capt. 
Dayton  and  his  men." 

"  He  would  soon  be  rich,  at  that  rate,"  said  Charlie. 

"  He  did  not  rest  on  his  oars,  at  all  events,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  Here  is  a  record  only  a  week  later :  — 

"'NEW  LONDON,  May  22,  '78. — Tuesday  night  8  whale-boats  arrived  here, 
taken  by  Dayton,  S.  side  of  L.  I.' 

"'NEW  LONDON,  June  12,  '78. — Capt.  E.  Dayton,  in  an  armed  boat,  carried 
3  prizes  into  N.  Haven,  which  he  took-  near  Fire  Island  Inlet.' 

"  Our  privateersman  has  now  got  on  in  the  world,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  He  commands  an  armed  vessel,  and  not  a  mere 
whale-boat.  But  he  is  about  to  come  to  grief.  Hear  this,  from 
a  Tory  paper  in  New  York :  — 


CAPT.  DAYTON  COMES   TO  GRIEF. 


291 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   THE    RANGER. 


" '  Capt.  Eben   Dayton,  in  the  sloop  Ranger,  of  45  men,  6  carriage  guns,  and 
12    swivels,   blunderbusses,    muskets,    hand    grenadoes    (to    throw   on   the   deck   of 


292  JACK  DRAWS  ON  HIS  IMAGINATION. 

the  vessel  attacked  as  they  run  her  aboard  with  whale-boats),  was  taken  in  South 
Bay  (Nov.  2Oth,  '78),  by  Capt.  Stout  of  a  N.  Y.  Privateer,  and  brought  to  N.  Y., 
Wed.  last.'" 

"  What   a   pity,"    said  Will,    "  that   the    records   are    not   more 
full !     One   would   like    so   much    to    know   how   he   was    taken 
whether  by  surprise,  or  by  overpowering    numbers,   after   a   brave 
fight." 

"  I  am  going  to  imagine,"  said  Jack,  "  that  he  stood  by  his. 
guns  till  the  last,  and  that  he  was  picked  up  out  of  the  water 
after  his  ship  went  down.  But  it  is  all  up  with  him  now.  He 
will  be  put  in  one  of  the  sugar-houses  that  were  used  as  prisons 
in  New  York,  for  captured  rebels  ;  and  no  man  can  live  long 
there.  Why,  they  had  to  lie  on  a  bare  floor  at  night,  so  close 
together  that  they  were  just  like  sardines  in  a  box.  If  one 
ached  from  his  cramped  position,  he  called  out,  and  the  whole 
line  had  to  turn  over  at  the  same  time.  Good-by,  Capt.  Eben 
Dayton.  That's  the  last  of  you." 

"  Don't  dispose  of  him  in  quite  so  summary  a  manner,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood.  "  Here  is  another  newspaper  extract :  — 

"'Auc.  28,  '79. — Aug.  14,  a  party  of  about  20  rebels  made  their  appearance 
at  Corum.  The  well-known  Eben  Dayton  was  at  the  head  of  this  party.' 

"  So  you  see,  Master  Jack,  that  he  certainly  did  not  end  his 
days  as  you  proposed,  for  here  he  is  at  liberty  again.  And  that 
is  all  I  have  been  able  to  find  about  him. 

"  But,  Rose,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  I  broke  right  in,  with  my 
Revolutionary  reminiscences,  on  your  account  of  your  ride  here. 
It  was  very  thoughtless  of  me." 


N 


THE   WILD  ROLLING  MOORS. 


293 


"  Oh !  your  story  was  a  thousand  times  better,"  said  Rose  ; 
"  and  beside,  I  had  nothing-  to  say.  Our  driver,  you  remember, 
could  only  tell  about  bagging  plover." 

"  There  was  a  lovely  view  backward,"  said  Lou,  "  as  we  left 
Napeague,  and  climbed  the  highlands.  Below  us,  we  saw  the 
salt  meadows  with  the  sea-birds  flying  over  them,  while  on  one 
side  lay  the  ocean,  and  on  the  other  the  Sound.  We  should 
have  stayed  for  hours,  looking,  if  our  driver  had  not  hurried  us, 
so  as  to  reach  here  before  dark." 


A   LOOK   BACK. 


"  And  the  moors  were  lovely,"  said  Carrie.  "  I  wanted  to 
run  all  the  way.  There  was  not  a  fence  nor  a  stone  ;  only  the 
wild  rolling  moors,  with  thousands  of  cattle  on  them." 

"  And  we  came  on  a  desolate  little  graveyard,"  said  Gertrude, 
<(  on  a  hillside  looking  down  on  the  ocean.  Nearly  every  grave 
was  marked  by  a  quantity  of  rough  stones  piled  about  it.  They 


294 


WHERE  SHALL    WE  SLEEP   TO-NIGHT f 


told  us  that  unknown  mariners,  lost  on  the  coast,  were  buried 
there.  How  sad  it  seemed  for  them  to  be  lying  in  their  last 
long  sleep  in  an  unknown  grave,  apart  alike  from  dead  or  living 
friends,  in  these  lonely  solitudes  !  " 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Jack,  after  a  minute,  breaking  in  on  the 
sober  silence  that  had  followed  Gertrude's  words,  "where  are  all 
we  fellows  to  sleep  to-night  ?  This  tiny  house  can  never  hold 
us." 

"  That  is  indeed  a  serious  question,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as 
they  rose  from  the  table  ;  "  and  we  must  give  it  prompt  atten 
tion." 


CHAPTER    V. 

AN  examination  into  the  anatomy  of  the 
house  showed  that  Jack's  assertion  that  they 
could  never  all  find  sleeping-quarters  in  it 
was  true  indeed.  At  first  the  situation  ap 
peared  rather  depressing,  particularly  as  their 
landlady  could  suggest  nothing  other  than  that  the  boys  should 
lie  on  the  sitting-room  floor.  Matters  looked  brighter,  however, 
when  Tom  suggested,  — 

"  Why  not  try  the  barn  ?  " 

The  boys  all  received  this  plan  with  decided  approval  ;  and 
Thomas  John  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  a  hay-mow  was  equal 
to  a  spring-mattress  any  day  ;  and  that  decided  the  matter. 

So,  half  an  hour  later,  you  might  have  seen  them  stumbling- 
along  the  path  through  the  pitchy  blackness,  which  was  only 
made  more  black  by  the  fitful  glimmer  of  the  lantern  that 
swung  from  Thomas  John's  hand.  What  a  wild  night  it  was 
growing  !  The  clouds  had  come  up  in  great  masses,  so  that  not 
a  star  was  visible.  The  wind  was  blowing  furiously,  threatening 
every  instant  to  put  out  their  light ;  and  the  whole  air  was  dank 
with  spray  from  the  sea,  that  was  lashing  itself  to  fury  on  the 
sands. 

295 


296  A   NASTY  NIGHT  AT  SEA. 

"  It  is  a  nasty  night  at  sea,"  said  Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Thomas  John  ;    "I  am  glad  "  — 

The  cause  of  Thomas  John's  gladness,  the  boys  could  only 
guess ;  for  at  that  moment  he  tripped  over  an  unseen  stone, 
and,  striving  to  recover  his  balance,  pitched  wildly  forward,  and 
disappeared  through  the  barn-door  with  lightning-like  suddenness, 

They  followed,  laughing,  and  looked  about  their  new  bed 
room. 

"  It  is  going  to  pour  presently,"  said  the  practical  Tom  ;  "  and 
the  building  is  very  old.  The  roof  probably  leaks.  Therefore 
we  shall  fare  better  if  we  pitch  some  hay  down  on  the  floor ; 
for  there  is  a  mow  above  it  which  will  shield  us." 

"  I'll  pitch  it  down,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  in  a  minute. 
"  But,  if  the  rain  does  come,  it  will  drive  through  the  cracks  on 
this  side  of  the  barn,  toward  the  storm,  and  wet  us  thoroughly. 
Here  are  a  hammer  and  some  nails.  Now,  if  we  can  only  find 
some  old  horse-blankets,  you  might  nail  them  up  while  I  pitch 
down  the  hay." 

The  horse-blankets  were  found,  and  nailed  up  ;  the  floor  was 
piled  deep  with  hay  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  boys,  thoroughly 
tired  with  their  long  day's  excitement,  were  so  soundly  asleep 
that  they  never  even  stirred  when  the  expected  rain  did  come 
clattering  and  stamping  on  the  old  roof  above  them,  with  a 
tremendous  uproar. 

It  must  have  been  seven  o'clock  before  any  one  stirred.  The 
horses  in  their  stalls  rose  from  their  sleep,  and,  stretching  their 
heads  over  their  mangers,  took  stolen  mouthfuls  from  the  boys' 
beds,  which  they  munched  with  great  satisfaction.  At  length  the 


THOMAS  JOHN  A  WAKES.  297 

one  near  Thomas  John,  growing  bolder,  decided  to  find  out  for 
himself  why  a  man  was  lying  there  so  quietly,  when,  according 
*o  all  equine  experience,  he  should  have  been  moving  about, 
getting  him  his  breakfast.  So  he  stretched  his  moist  nose  as  far 
forward  as  he  could,  and  smelled  all  over  Thomas  John's  face, 
ending  up  with  a  snort  of  astonishment  directly  in  his  ear. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  this  manoeuvre  was  perfectly 
successful,  and  that  Thomas  John  awoke. 

His  rising  awoke  the  rest ;  and  together  they  shook  the  hay 
seeds  from  their  hair,  and  forced  open  the  great  doors  on  the 
leeward  side  of  the  barn.  The  prospect  was  no  whit  pleasanter 
than  it  had  been  the  night  before.  The  wind  whistled  and 
shrieked  louder  than  ever,  and  the  rain  came  in  such  blinding 
torrents  that  one  could  not  see  more  than  a  hundred  feet  away. 

"It  is  a  pity  that  we  did  not  bring  our  towels  with  us,"  said 
Ned.  "  We  could  have  a  shower-bath  by  simply  putting  our 
heads  out  of  doors." 

"  There  is  a  great  tub  standing  under  the  spout  from  the 
roof,"  said  Will.  "  No  one  can  see  us  here  ;  and  I,  for  one, 
vote  for  a  bath.  We  can  get  our  towels  from  the  house  ;  and 
we'll  feel  better  for  it  all  day." 

Thomas  John,  who  had  been  rummaging  about  the  dark 
corners  of  the  barn,  hereupon  appeared,  attired  in  a  yellow  tar 
paulin  suit  which  he  had  found  hanging  on  a  peg,  and  volun 
teered  to  bring  from  the  house  any  toilet-articles  they  wished. 

"  Find  out  when  breakfast  will  be  ready,"  called  the  boys 
after  him,  "  and  how  all  our  party  are." 

Thomas  John    speedily  re-appeared,  and  the  ablutions    in    the 


298  A   STARTLING   QUESTION. 

big  tub  under  the  sheltered  side  of  the  barn  began.  The  storm, 
he  told  them,  as  they  rubbed  themselves  down  and  dressed  about 
him,  was  tremendous.  The  wind  was  terrific.  It  had  seized  him 
in  an  unguarded  moment,  and  flattened  him  out  so  vigorously 
against  the  side  of  the  house,  that,  if  a  lull  had  not  come,  he 
thought  he  should  have  been  spread,  like  butter  on  bread,  all 
over  the  side  of  the  building.  "  Like  that  sheepskin  there,"  he 
added,  pointing  to  one  nailed  on  the  barn-door. 

After  breakfast,  their  situation  came  up  for  discussion. 
'  I  think  we  had  much   better  sit   at    the    table    all    day,"  said 
Jack  disconsolately.     "  There  are  so    many  of   us,  that,  if  we   get 
up,  the  room  will  not  hold  us." 

"  Why  not  all  go  out  to  the  barn  again  ? "  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  The  great  floor  is  dry,  you  say,  and  we  can  find  room 
there." 

So,  wrapped  in  all  manner  'of  strange  waterproof  garments, 
Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls  were  safely  escorted  out.  They 
found  Thomas  John  and  the  cattle-keeper  sitting  on  a  box,  both 
whittling  away  for  dear  life.  Jack,  as  usual,  began  the  conversa 
tion  ;  and,  as  usual,  his  question  to  the  cattle-keeper  was  a 
startling  one. 

"  Do  any  corpses  ever  come  ashore  here  ? "  he  asked. 

"  What  a  question,  Jack  !  "  said  Carrie.  "  Of  course  not ! 
Where  could  they  come  from  ? " 

"  Shipwrecks  at  sea,"  said  Jack.  "  Do  they,  Mr.  Cattle- 
keeper  ? "  * 

"  Fourteen  came  ashore  right  in  front  of  the  house,  in  a 
single  morning,"  said  the  man.  "  It  was  after  the  wreck  of 


AN  UNLUCKY  SHIP.  299 


1  The  Circassian.'  That  was  a  dreadful  time.  Twenty-eight  lives 
were  lost.  The  ship  was  wrecked  at  Bridgehampton,  more  than 
twenty  miles  west,  and  the  bodies  were  brought  here  by  the 
current." 

"  Tell  us  about  it,"  said  the  boys,  while  the  girls  drew  into 
the  circle,  though  with  rather  disquieted  faces. 

"  Oh !  I  am  no  story-teller,"  said  the  cattle-keeper.  "  And, 
beside,  I  know  of  it  only  by  hearsay.  Mr.  Longwood  knows 
far  more  than  I  do,  no  doubt." 

So  Mr.  Longwood  was  urged  to  tell  the  story,  and  began,  — 

"  '  The  Circassian  '  went  ashore  on  the  bar  close  to  the  life- 
saving  station  at  Bridgehampton." 

"  Was  she  a  steamer  ?  "  asked  'Ned. 

"  No  ;  though  she  had  been  originally.  During  the  Rebellion 
she  was  a  blockade-runner.  She  was  an  unlucky  ship,  from  the 
first.  She  was  captured  by  a  man-of-war,  at  the  outset  of  her 
unlawful  career.  After  being  sold  as  a  prize,  she  went  ashore 
twice  ;  but  each  time  the  wrecking  companies  brought  her  off. 
At  last  she  was  bought  by  some  Englishmen,  who  changed  her 
to  a  sailing-ship.  It  was  her  first  voyage  as  a  sailing-ship,  and 
when  on  her  way  to  New  York,  that  she  went  ashore." 

"  Was  she  a  large  ship  ? "  asked  Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  She  was  nearly  three  hundred 
feet  long,  if  I  remember  rightly.  Her  size  was  against  her,  in 
one  way ;  for  she  drew  twenty  feet,  and  grounded  four  hundred 
yards  from  shore,  where  no  ball  from  a  mortar  could  reach  her." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  about  a  ball  from  a  mortar  ? "  asked 
Rose. 


300  MR.  LONG  WOOD  EXPLAINS. 

"  Every  life-saving  station  is  furnished  with  a  small  mortar, 
or  cannon,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  When  a  ship  goes  ashore, 
and  the  surf  is  so  heavy  that  a  boat  cannot  be  launched,  the 
mortar,  which  is  packed  in  a  two-wheeled  car,  is  dragged  down 
to  the  very  edge  of  the  surf.  Then  it  is  loaded  with  a  conical 
shot,  to  which  a  very  light  but  very  strong  rope  is  fastened.  It 


CARRYING  A   LINE  ABOARD,  THE   NEW   WAY. 


is,  perhaps,  more  like  a  cord  than  a  rope.  This  cord  is  coiled 
by  the  side  of  the  cannon,  and  when  all  is  ready  the  gun  is  fired. 
The  ball  flies  through  the  air  over  the  ship,  if  all  goes  well,  and 
the  line  drops  on  the  deck." 

"  But   how   does    having   a   line    to    the    ship    help    matters  ? " 
asked  Kate. 


THE  BREECHES  BUOY. 


301 


"  The  men  on  the  vessel  haul  in  the  line,  to  the  end  of  which 
the  life-crew  have  made  fast  a 
much  heavier  one,  so  that  soon 
there  is  quite  a  strong  cable 
from  the  wreck  to  the  shore. 
A  board,  on  which  is  painted 
directions  in  several  languages, 
has  been  tied  to  the  rope,  and 
hauled  in  with  it ;  and  from  this 
the  crew  learn  that  they  are  to 
carry  their  end  of  the  cable 
high  up  the  mast,  and  make  it 
fast  there.  On  the  cable  thus 
stretched,  runs,  on  a  pulley,  a 
sort  of  seat,  called  the  breeches 
buoy,  which  is  dragged  back  and 
forth  between  ship  and  shore, 
by  guide-ropes  ;  and  in  this  the 
wrecked  crew  are  brought  safely 
to  land." 

"  They  must  get  a  precious 
ducking,  if  the  rope  sags,"  said 
Jack. 

"  I  dare  say  they  often  do," 
said  Mr.  Long-wood  ;  "but  com- 

o 

ing    ashore    wet    is    better    than 
drowning  on  the  bar." 

"  What  a  vast  advance    the    use    of  the   mortar  is,"  said    Mrs. 


THE   BREECHES   BUOY. 


302  THOMAS  JOHN  COMES   TO    THE  FORE. 

Longwood,  "  over  the  times  when  the  only  way  to  get  a  line  to 
a  ship  was  by  means  of  some  brave  fellow,  who  tied  the  rope 
about  him,  and  swam  out  to  the  vessel  in  distress,  in  most  cases 
at  the  risk,  if  not  loss,  of  his  life  !  " 

"  No  man  living  could  get  through  the  Long-Island  surf  in 
the  gales  that  I  have  seen,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  He  would  be 
beaten  to  death  by  the  waves,  in  no  time.  It  was  so  the  night 
4  The  Circassian  '  struck." 

"  Were  you  there  ?  "  they  all  cried. 

"  I  was  on  the  next  station,"  said  Thomas  John ;  "  but  we 
were  sent  for,  to  help." 

Mr.  Longwood  found,  all  at  once,  that  he  was  deserted,  and 
that  Thomas  John  was  the  centre  of  attraction. 

"Tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Jack.  "What  kind  of  weather 
was  it  ?  " 

"  Bad  as  could  be.  Wind  north-east,  blowing  a  gale,  and 
the  air  so  full  of  snow  that  we  could  not  make  her  out  well 
enough  to  use  the  mortar,  even  if  she  had  been  within  range. 
And  no  boat  made  could  have  lived  in  the  surf  that  was  run 
ning.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  wait  for  daylight. 

"  When  that  came,  the  snow  held  up  a  little,  and  matters 
looked  better.  The  sea  had  been  pounding  her  on  the  bar,  and 
had  driven  her  shoreward  quite  a  ways  ;  and  the  tide  had  gone 
out,  so  that  the  beach  was  not  under  water,  and  we  could  bring 
the  mortar  forward.  We  had  good  luck,  for  the  third  shot  fell 
plump  on  her  deck  ;  and  in  a  little  while  we  had  the  buoy  all 
rigged,  ready  to  run  them  ashore. 

"  But,  when  that  was  done,  we  found  that  the  surf  had  gone 


CARRYING    A    LINE   ABOARD,   THE   OLD    WAY. 


A    HAPPY  RELEASE. 


3°5 


down  enough  to  launch  a  boat ;  and  so,  in  six  or  seven  trips, 
we  brought  the  whole  forty  men  safely  ashore." 

"  But  I  thought  they  were  all  drowned,"  said  Gertrude,  in 
astonishment. 

"  That  was  later,"  said  Thomas  John ;  "  when  the  Coast 
Wrecking  Company  were  trying  to  get  the  ship  off.  It  was 


LAUNCHING  THE  SURF-BOAT. 


nearly  three  weeks  after  she  went  ashore,  before  she  broke  up. 
All  this  time,  the  Wrecking  Company  were  hard  at  work.  A 
gang  of  men  were  landing  cargo,  to  lighten  her.  Then,  they 
had  anchors  sunk  out  to  sea,  and  carried  hawsers  from  them 
aboard.  By  keeping  a  strain  on  these  hawsers,  they  dragged  her 
out  a  few  feet,  every  high  tide.  But  what  they  wanted  was  a 


3°6  THE  LINE  IS  CAST  OFF. 

regular  gale.  Then  the  seas  would  come  in  high  enough  to  lift 
her  clear  off  the  bar,  and  they  could  drag  her  out,  and  get  away 
under  sail.  So  they  worked  for  dear  life,  and  hoped  for  a  storm. 
As  she  lay,  every  day  made  her  chances  worse  ;  for  the  sand 
banked  up  about  her,  and  she  was  in  danger  of  breaking  in  two. 
Being  aground  in  the  middle,  with  both  ends  in  deep  water,  the 
strain  was  tremendous  ;  and,  being  an  iron  ship,  of  course  she 
would  break  much  quicker  than  a  wooden  one. 

"  The  storm  came  ;  but  it  was  more  than  they  bargained  for. 
It  was  just  at  the  end  of  December.  Before  noon,  on  that  day, 
the  gang  of  men  who  had  been  shifting  cargo  came  ashore,  and 
the  line  to  the  beach  was  cast  off." 

"  That  would  seem  to  have  been  a  strange  thing  to  do,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood. 

"  It  cost  them  their  lives,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  It  was  this 
way :  The  Wrecking  Company  were  determined  to  get  the  ship 
off.  They  believed  that  she  was  strong  enough  to  stand  any 
surf;  and  they  had  an  idea,  that,  if  the  line  were  there,  some  of 
the  crew  might  get  frightened,  and  make  for  shore,  just  at  a 
time  when  their  leaving  would  block  the  whole  thing.  So  they 
cast  off  the  line.  But  it  was  not  a  storm  that  came  :  it  was  a 
tornado." 

The  girls  and  boys  all  drew  a  little  nearer. 

"  Late  that  day,  the  life-saving  crew  at  Bridgehampton  made 
out  that  all  was  not  right  aboard.  They  could  see  her,  half 
buried  in  foam  and  spray,  and  she  was  rolling  and  pounding ; 
but  her  hawsers  had  been  slacked,  and  that  meant  that  they  had 
given  up  trying  to  get  her  off.  Something  had  gone  wrong, 


THE    VESSEL  BREAKS  IN  TWO. 


3°7 


that  was  certain.     We  found  out  afterwards  that  she   had   broken 


3°8  A   FEARFUL  NIGHT. 


her  back.  Still  no  one  ashore  felt  uneasy  (for  they  knew  how 
strong  she  was)  until  about  eight  o'clock,  when  they  made  out 
that  one  of  her  masts  was  gone.  That  showed  that  she  was 
breaking  up  ;  and  then  the  life-crew  at  Bridgehampton  sent  for 
help  to  the  other  stations. 

"  I  remember  that  I  had  just  come  off  my  beat,  and  was 
turning  in,  thankful  enough  that  my  work  for  the  night  was 
over,  when  we  heard  a  horseman  coming  at  full  gallop,  to  call 
us. 

"  As  soon  as  the  mast  went,  the  life-saving  crew  tried  to 
get  a  line  aboard.  But  it  was  no  use.  You  know  how  the 
Long-Island  beach  looks,  —  back  of  the  sea  a  broad  stretch 
of  sand,  two  or  three  hundred  feet  wide,  and  back  of  that  the 
sand-hills.  Well,  that  night  all  the  sand  was  covered,  and  the 
waves  came  lashing  up  the  sand-hills,  —  sweeping  over  them, 
and  cutting  sluiceways  clean  through  them.  It  was  fearful  to 
see.  The  mortar  had  to  be  fired  from  the  top  of  the  sand-hills  ; 
and,  in  the  teeth  of  such  a  wind  as  was  blowing,  the  ball  did 
not  begin  to  reach  the  ship.  Besides,  the  wet  sand  blew  so  that 
it  would  bury  the  line  before  it  could  be  coiled,  and  it  was  so 
cold,  that  at  times  it  froze  stiff. 

"  The  crew  had  long  since  taken  to  the  rigging ;  for  every 
sea  made  a  clean  breach  over  her. 

"  And  then  a  most  uncommon  thing  happened.  The  wind 
had  been  blowing  from  the  sou'-east,  and  all  at  once  it  chopped 
around  into  the  sou'-west,  and  blew  a  perfect  whirlwind.  It  made 
a  sea,  the  like  of  which  I  never  saw  before,  or  after.  Overhead, 
the  clouds  were  torn  apart  by  the  gale,  and  went  sweeping 


FOUR  MEN  ARE  SA  VED.  3°9 

across  the  sky  like  mad ;  and  now  and  then  the  moon  shone 
between  their  ragged  edges,  so  that  we  could  see  better.  We 
kept  the  mortar  going  all  the  time  ;  but,  from  the  start,  it  was 
no  use. 

"  Close  on  to  midnight  the  tide  was  low,  so  that  the  ship's 
deck  was  no  longer  under  water.  We  saw  a  light  on  it,  and 
made  out  that  the  men  were  changing  to  the  mast  nearest  shore. 
By  three  o'clock,  the  mast  they  had  left  was  gone,  —  the  vessel 
had  broke  clean  in  two,  and  the  for'ard  part  had  sunk  in  the 
deep  water  outside  the  bar.  A  little  after  that,  the  one  they 
were  on  began  to  careen.  We  could  hear  them  shout  for  help, 
above  the  wind  and  surf.  Slowly  it  settled,  lower  and  lower,  till 
jt  went  under,  and  the  cries  ceased." 

The  girls  all  drew  a  long  breath  of   horror. 

"  But  did  none  of  them  escape  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  Four  men  got  ashore,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  and  that  was 
the  strangest  part  of  the  whole  business.  It  was  all  owing  to 
the  pluck  of  one  of  them.  When  the  mast  went  down,  we 
scattered  along  the  beach  to  the  eastward,  on  the  bare  chance  ; 
but  not  a  soul  ever  dreamed  that  any  one  could  live  in  such  a 
sea.  However,  the  ship's  first  mate  had  forecasted  what  he  would 
do  if  the  ship  broke  up.  He  was  as  strong  as  a  giant,  —  the 
finest-built  man  I  ever  met.  While  the  others  were  running 
around,  kind  o'  terror-stricken,  he  and  the  second  mate  cut  out 
from  under  the  seats  of  one  of  the  ship's  boats  a  piece  of  cork 
buoy.  It  was  cigar-shaped,  and  about  five  feet  long.  They 
rigged  it  with  ropes,  through  which  an  arm  could  be  thrust,  and 
lugged  it  up  into  the  rigging  with  them. 


310  A    WONDERFUL  ESCAPE. 

"  When  the  mast  went  under,  they  grabbed  it,  and  jumped 
as  far  towards  shore  as  they  could.  A  sailor,  struggling  in  the 
water,  got  hold  with  them  ;  and  one  of  the  Wrecking  Company's 
men,  who  came  up  alongside,  also  managed  to  reach  it.  Then 
the  first  mate  ordered  them  to  lock  legs  underneath.  This  held 
them  together,  and  turned  them  into  a  kind  of  craft,  that  he 
took  command  of.  When  a  big  wave  was  coming,  he'd  give  the 
order,  '  Hold  hard  !  '  and,  when  it  had  gone  by,  '  Ease  up,  and 
breathe !  '  When  they  got  in  towards  shore,  he  loosened  his 
legs,  and  sounded,  telling  them,  '  After  next  wave,  run  !  '  A  big 
sea  pitched  them  well  up  the  beach,  and  they  tried  to  run,  as  it 
swept  back  ;  but  they  were  too  far  gone,  and  would  have  been 
dragged  out  in  the  undertow,  and  killed,  if  the  life-saving  men 
had  not  rushed  in,  and  dragged  them  back." 

"  What  a  hero  that  man  must  have  been  !  "  said  two  or  three  ; 
and  Mrs.  Longwood  asked,  "  Did  they  all  live  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  They  came  ashore  nearly  a 
mile  to  eastward  of  the  wreck,  though  they  thought  they  had 
not  been  in  the  water  more  than  three  minutes.  It  was  so  cold, 
that,  before  we  could  carry  them  to  the  station,  they  were  cased 
in  ice.  One  man  was  very  low,  and  for  a  day  or  so  we  did 
not  think  he  could  live  ;  but  the  first  mate  was  smoking  his 
pipe  by  the  fire,  a  half-hour  afterward." 

"  And  they  were  all  that  were  saved,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  ; 
"  and  twenty-eight  lost." 

"  Ten  of  the  men  were  Indians,  who  were  working  for  the 
Wrecking  Company.  They  were  the  pick  of  the  Shinnecocks, 
and  their  death  was  a  great  blow  to  the  tribe.  Some  of  the 


ANOTHER   TALE   OF  THE  SEA.  3*3 

lost,  too,  were  hardly  more  than  boys.  They  were  a  sort  of 
apprentices,  in  the  same  position  in  the  merchant-service  that 
midshipmen  are  in  the  navy,  I  fancy.  The  captain  was  urged  to 
leave  them  ashore  ;  but  he  said  their  place  was  aboard." 

"  Poor  boys !  "  said  Mrs.  Longwood  sadly.  "  I  am  thinking 
of  their  mothers." 

"  There  was  a  very  strange  shipwreck  on  the  Jersey  coast,  a 
few  months  after  the  loss  of  '  The  Circassian,'  "  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  It  was  a  schooner,  if  I  remember  rightly,  '  The  Margaret 
and  Lucy.'  The  patrolman  on  the  beach,  about  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  saw,  down  the  coast  before  him,  a  bright  light  like 
a  torch.  While  he  was  looking,  it  went  out.  He  hurried  on  as 
fast  as  possible,  through  the  driving  rain,  and  saw,  about  three 
hundred  yards  out  from  the  shore,  a  red  and  a  green  fight,  one 
only  a  few  feet  above  the  other.  He  at  once  burned  the  red 
light  with  which  each  patrol  is  furnished,  to  give  notice  to  those 
on  board  that  they  had  been  seen  ;  but  not  a  sound  was  heard, 
nor  was  there  any  signal  in  response.  So  he  made  all  speed 
back  to  his  station,  to  report.  A  man  was  sent  at  once  to  the 
spot,  to  watch,  while  the  rest  of  the  crew  dragged  the  mortar- 
car  slowly  through  the  sand. 

"  All  at  once  the  man  on  guard  saw  the  lights  disappear ; 
the  next  moment  came  the  sound  of  a  crash  from  the  sea  ;  and 
that  was  all  that  was  ever  seen  of  '  The  Margaret  and  Lucy,' 
except  the  pieces  of  wreckage  that  lined  the  beach  for  miles, 
the  next  morning." 

"  Why,  what  an  extraordinary  thing  !  "  said  Will. 

"  The    pieces   that   came    ashore,"  said    Mr.   Longwood,  "  were 


GERTRUDE   TIRES  OF  HORRORS. 


broken  into  bits,  and  thoroughly  decayed.  It  was  believed  that 
the  ship  was  so  rotten,  that,  when  she  struck  the  bar,  her  bot 
tom  rubbed  off,  and  that  she  sank  before  the  crew  had  a  chance 
to  save  themselves.  The  torch  was  thought  to  have  been  lighted 
by  them  when  she  first  struck,  and  its  almost  instant  disappear 
ance  showed  how  quickly  she  sank.  The  red  and  green  lights. 
were  those  in  the  rigging.  Seven  lives  were  lost  in  this  catas 
trophe." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Gertrude  :  "we  have  had  enough  of  horrors. 
Do  let  us  have  something  cheerful." 

"I  think  so  too,"  said  Carrie.     "What  say  you  to  a  game?" 

A  game  was  decided  on  ;  and  girls  and  boys  were  soon  scaling 
ladders,  and  hiding  in  mows.  And  such  good  fun  did  they  find 
it,  that,  before  they  realized  it,  the  morning  had  gone,  and  they 
were  called  to  dinner. 

"  There  is  one  thing  that  always  provokes  me,"  said  Carrie, 
as  they  sat  about  the  table  ;  "  and  that  is,  that,  in  these  stories 
that  one  hears  of  deeds  of  bravery,  a  man  is  always  the  hero. 
Just  as  if  women  never  did  brave  things  !  Women  do  just  as 
many,  I  believe,  only  they  don't  talk  of  them.  But,  for  a 
change,  I  would  like  to  hear  one  in  which  a  woman  was  the 
heroine." 

"  My  great-grandmother  "  —  began  Jack. 

But  he  got  no  farther  than  the  word  "  great-grandmother  ;  " 
for,  at  that,  every  one  broke  out  laughing.  Jack  had  often 
boasted  of  a  great-grandmother  of  his,  and  of  some  bold  deed 
which  she  had  once  done.  But,  though  many  a  time  urged  to 
tell  the  tale,  something  had  always  happened  to  prevent,  and  the 


NIGHT    PATROL   BURNING  THE   RED   LIGHT. 


JACK   TELLS   THE  STORY  OF  HIS  GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.  317 

subject  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  great  joke.  Carrie  had 
even  suggested  that  her  name  was  Harris,  and  had  openly  stated 
that  she  didn't  "  believe  there  was  no  sich  a  person." 

Jack  flushed  at  the  laughter,  and  looked  very  indignant. 

"  What  was  it  you  were  going  to  say,  Jack  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Longwood  kindly. 

"  I  was  only  going  to  say,  sir,"  he  replied,  with  considerable 
dignity,  "  that  my  great-grandmother  was  a  woman." 

At  this,  there  was  such  another  peal  of  merriment  that  Jack's 
wrath  was  kindled  afresh,  and  he  declared  that  he  would  never  tell 
the  story  anyway.  But,  seeing  that  his  feelings  were  really  hurt, 
they  all  set  to  work  to  appease  him,  with  such  good  results  that 
presently  he  began. 

"  Some  fellow  has  worked  it  into  poetry,"  he  said  ;  "  so  here 
goes  :  — 

SIXTY    YEARS    AFTER. 

'  Hark,  hark  !     I  hear  the  sound  of  hoofs : 

'Tis  the  British  horse.     Hide  !   flee  ! ' 
'  Nay,  Grand-dame,  lay  aside  your  fears : 
The  British  horse,  these  sixty  years, 

Have  been  across  the  sea. 
'Tis  but  some  traveller  of  a  night : 
You're  by  your  fireside  warm  and  bright.' 

'  Ay,  so  I  am.     My  thoughts  were  back 

In  those  days  of  war  and  flight. 
Once  more  my  blood  seemed  chill  with  fear, 
At  those  loud  hoof-beats  drawing  near, 

As  on  that  dreadful  night, 


318  A    WOMAN'S  WIT. 


When,  roused  from  sleep,  I  heard  the  shout, 
"  Come  forth,  you  rebel,  or  be  burned  out !  " 

'  Who  was  the  rebel  ?    Your  grandsire,  child ; 

A  major  of  rebels,  he. 
To  see  his  wife,  he'd  stolen  home, 
Near  British  posts.     They  learned  he'd  come, 

Through  Tory  treachery. 
They  stayed  to  see  the  burned  house  fall; 
But  woman's  wit  outmatched  them  all. 

'  Down  to  the  door,  half  choked  with  smoke, 
Where  their  captain  stood,  I  went; 

"  You  fight  not  women,  sir,"  I  said : 

"  To  move  my  mother,  ill  in  bed, 
Give  us,  at  least,  consent." 

On  her  feather-bed  we  bore  her  out, 

Half  dead  with  fright  at  that  wild  rout. 

'  Not  a  man  there  would  lend  a  hand : 

So  the  bed  dragged  on  the  ground. 
Your  grandsire,  crouching,  crept  along, 
Safe  underneath,  through  the  wild  throng 

That  jeering  stood  around. 
As  the  roof  fell,  they  laughed,  and  said, 
"  One  rebel  more  has  joined  the  dead." 

'Then,  mounting  steeds,  they  rode  away, 

And  I  laughed  aloud  in  glee ; 
For  what  cared  I  for  roof-tree  burned, 
And  household  goods  to  ashes  turned? 

My  rebel  was  safe  for  me. 
But  still  the  tramp  of  horses'  feet 
At  night  makes  my  heart  cease  to  beat.'  " 


ANOTHER  DAY  IS  OVER.  3*9 

They  lingered  about  the  table  for  a  long  time,  discussing 
Jack's  story,  and  talking  of  one  thing  and  another.  At  length 
Will,  looking  out  of  the  window,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Why,  it's  stopped  raining !  and  I  think  the  wind  has  hauled. 
I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it  cleared." 

A  rush  to  the  door  followed  ;  and  there  they  found  that  his 
surmise  was  true  ;  for  away  in  the  west,  on  the  horizon's  edge, 
was  a  streak  of  pale-blue  sky,  while  the  heavy  clouds  overhead 
were  beginning  to  break  away  and  to  hurry  seaward. 

With  exclamations  of  satisfaction,  the  boys  seized  their  hats, 
and  rushed  out.  Every  thing  was  dripping  wet ;  but  the  girls 
donned  their  wraps,  and  joined  them,  and  all  went  together  to 
ward  the  beach,  where  the  sea  was  rolling  in  with  fearful  fury. 
There  was  a  strange  fascination  in  watching  the  waves,  as,  one 
after  another,  they  drew  nearer,  and  finally  snapped  themselves 
out,  with  a  report  like  a  cannon,  and  disappeared  in  a  shower 
of  spray. 

Toward  evening  they  took  a  stroll  across  the  moors,  which 
brought  them  home  to  supper  with  wet  feet  and  rousing  appe 
tites.  And,  by  the  time  the  clock  struck  nine  that  night,  every 
boy  and  girl  was  fast  asleep,  and  another  day  was  over. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


THE  sun  was 
well  out  of  his  wa 
tery  bed  before  the 
boys  awoke  the 
next  morning.  In 
the  crisp  Septem 
ber  air,  blowing  in 
fresh  gusts  down  from  the  New-England  hills,  every  object  stood 
out  clear  and  distinct.  Jack,  as  he  put  his  head  out  of  the  barn 
door,  even  insisted  that  he  could  see  the  Connecticut  shore ; 
but,  as  there  was  quite  a  hill  between  him  and  that  somewhat 
distant  land,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  he  must  have  been 
mistaken. 

There  was  no  great  shower-bath  pouring  from  the  roof  OD 
this  morning  ;  but  the  large  tub  was  full,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a 
pail,  a  fair  substitute  for  yesterday's  plunge  was  had.  Then, 
finding  that  it  was  still  a  good  hour  until  breakfast,  and  that  no 
one  of  their  party  at  the  house  was  stirring,  the  boys  decided  to 
work  off  their  superfluous  energy  by  a  long  walk  down  the 
beach. 

"  Perhaps  we  may  find  a   corpse    or  two,"  said   Jack,  skipping 
320 


TOM  HAS  A    PRESENTIMENT. 


321 


"1 


for  lightness  of  heart,  "and  around  its  waist  a  money-bag  stuffed 
with  gold  and  jewels." 

So,  now  walking,  now  running,  and  now  stopping    short,  they 
soon  were  out  of  sight. 

Presently,  as  they  were  looking  seaward,  where  a  full-rigged 
ship  was  flying  along  with  all  canvas  spread,  one  of  them  chanced 
to  glance  over  his 
shoulder.  On  the 
road  across  the  moors, 
some  distance  away,  he 
saw  a  man  on  horse 
back,  moving  along  at 
good  speed.  They  all 
watched  him  for  a 
moment,  when  Tom 
said,  — 

"  I'll  wager  any 
thing  that  he  has 
come  to  bring  a  mes 
sage  to  papa.  I  feel 
it  in  my  bones.  Let's 
go  back." 

Off  they  all  start- 


TOM  HURRIES  BACK. 


ed  ;  but  Tom  was  so 

much  impressed   by  his  fancy,  that   he  strode  on  at   a   pace   that 

left   the   others   out   of    sight,    and    brought    him    to    the    house 

breathless. 

Sure  enough,  he  found  the  man  sitting  on    his   horse,  talking 


322  A    TELEGRAM  ARRIVES. 

to  his  father.  Mr.  Long-wood  had  apparently  been  called  down 
from  his  room  unexpectedly,  for  his  coat  was  loosely  thrown  on, 
and  his  hair  dishevelled. 


THE  MAN  FROM  EASTHAMPTON. 


"  O  Tom !  "  he  said,  "I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Perhaps  you 
can  suggest  some  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  This  man  brings 
me  a  telegram  from  my  clerk  in  New  York,  saying  that  there 


BREAKFAST  IS  READY.  323 

are  some  papers  there  requiring  my  immediate  attention.  I  am 
afraid  that  I  must  go  back,  and  leave  you." 

"  That  would  be  awful,"  said  Tom,  "  and  spoil  all  our  fun. 
Let  me  see.  I  have  it !  Telegraph  him  to  meet  you  at  New 
London  to-morrow.  It  would  be  a  jolly  sail  across ;  and  we 
could  get  back  that  same  evening." 

"  I  believe  you've  hit  the  very  thing,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  I'll  go  in,  and  write  the  despatch." 

While  he  was  gone,  Tom  climbed  the  fence,  and  opened 
conversation  with  the  messenger. 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  telegram  ? "  asked  he. 

"  Your  man  fetched  it  to  Easthampton  yesterday.  He  laid 
out  to  hire  a  horse  there  to  bring  him  on.  I  thought  I'd  kind 
o'  interrogate  him  'bout  the  road  ;  and  found  he'd  never  been 
over  it.  So  I  told  him,  that,  if  the  thing  must  go,  I'd  take  it 
myself;  but  I  didn't  propose  to  have  one  of  my  horses  bogged 
in  the  Napeague  marshes.  And  'twas  lucky  I  did  ;  for  no  green 
hand  'ud  ever  got  through.  Half  the  road  was  washed  clean 
away.  I  got  to  House  No.  i  at  dark,  and  come  on  first  thing 
this  morning." 

At  this  point  the  other  boys  hurried  up,  and  Mr.  Longwood 
came  out  with  the  despatch. 

"Now,  then,"  he  said,  as  the  man  rode  away,  after  buttoning 
it  up  in  his  coat,  "  I  must  make  haste,  and  get  ready  for  break 
fast.  Our  landlady  told  me  that  she  was  just  putting  it .  on  the 
table.  Kate  and  Carrie  are  down  by  the  beach.  Will  one  of 
you  call  them  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  said  Jack ;    and   he   set   off  on    a   run    toward  where 


324 


A    TERRIBLE   CALAMITY  AVERTED. 


the  two  could  be  seen  standing  on  a  little  bluff  overlooking  the 
sea.  As  he  came  close  to  them  he  stopped,  and  a  look  of  mis 
chief  came  over  his  face. 

"  Girls,"    he    said,    in    a   steady   voice,    "  be    calm !       Don't   be 
frightened.     But  get  away  from  that  bluff  as  quickly  and    quietly 

as  you  can.  This  whole  shore 
is  washing  away  at  a  fearful 
rate." 

Involuntarily  Kate  dropped 
her  arms  from  Carrie,  and  both 
hurried  backward.  But  they 
had  not  gone  a  dozen  feet, 
before  they  stopped  with  some 
what  sheepish  faces.  Then 
Carrie  turned  upon  Jack,  who 
had  thrown  himself  down  on 
the  grass,  and  was  rolling  over 
and  over  in  an  ecstasy  of  de 
light. 

"  You    wicked    boy !  "    she 
said.     "  You  told  a  story  !  " 
"  I  did  not,"  said  Jack.     "  I  read  a  book  on  Long  Island,  the 
morning   before    I    left    New  York  ;    and   it  said  that    it  was   esti 
mated    that   two    thousand    tons   of  soil   were   washed   away  from 
Montauk  every  day." 

The    sound    of  a   bell    from    the   house   put   a    speedy  end   to 
Carrie's  indignation,  and  together  they  all  hurried  thither. 

Breakfast  and  prayers   over,  there   ensued   a   scene   of  bustle 


CARRIE  AND   KATE. 


CAPTAIN  JACKSON  ESCORTS   THEM  ABOARD.  325 

It  had  been  decided  that  all  were  to  go  aboard  "  The  Mavis," 
and  sail  to  the  point.  Should  the  sea  be  smooth,  they  might 
perhaps  go  a  little  way  out.  They  could,  in  any  case,  easily 
make  a  landing  at  the  light-house,  and  take  dinner  there. 

Mr.  Cattle-keeper,  as  Jack  called  him,  had  been  interviewed 
on  the  subject  that  morning,  and  had  promised  to  take  them  all 
down  Fort  Pond  in  his  sail-boat,  so  that  there  would  be  only  a 
few  hundred  feet  to  walk  to  "  The  Mavis."  And  so,  when  they 
reached  the  northern  end  of  the  pond,  they  found  Capt.  Jackson 
standing  on  the  shore  to  welcome  them,  while  one  of  the  sailors 
was  in  the  schooner's  boat,  waiting  to  put  them  aboard. 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  as  he  shook  hands  all  around, 
"  you  don't  seem  to  have  been  damaged  by  the  storm.  No  top 
masts  gone,  no  sails  split;  every  thing  taut  and  ship-shape. 
That's  hearty.  You  did  well  to  get  ashore,  boys,"  he  went  on. 
"  The  cabin  of  '  The  Mavis '  wasn't  big  enough  for  me  yester 
day  ;  and  what  we  should  have  all  done,  shut  up  in  her,  I  don't 
know.  Who  goes  aboard  first  ?  Ladies,  of  course." 

So  saying,  the  captain  helped  Mrs.  Longwood  and  two  or 
three  of  the  girls  into  the  small  boat,  and,  taking  his  place  in 
the  stern,  was  pulled  out  to  "  The  Mavis,"  where  they  all  got 
on  board,  while  the  boat  went  back  for  the  others.  Then  he 
brought  up  an  armful  of  rugs  from  some  unseen  locker,  and 
spread  them  on  the  deck,  where  Mrs.  Longwood  would  be  shel 
tered  from  the  wind. 

Meanwhile  the  rest  were  come,  the  boat  was  hauled  up,  the 
sails  were  raised,  and  "  The  Mavis "  was  once  more  under  way. 
How  lightly  she  flew  along,  lying  well  over,  and  throwing  back 


326  GERTRUDE    WISHES   TO  FLY. 

in  spray  the  waves  that  came  rolling  up  under  her  bow  !  There 
was  life  and  vigor  in  her  every  motion.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
fly,"  said  Gertrude.  "  I  know  now  just  how  clouds  feel ;  "  and 
she  broke  out  singing,  — 

THE    SONG    OF    A    CLOUD. 

From  afar,  by  wild,  hot,  west  winds  driven, 

Have  I  come  with  flying  feet ; 
O'er  mountain,  forest,  and  broad  farm-fields, 

Scorched  in  the  summer  heat. 
But  now  I  see  the  breakers  gleam, 

And  the  white  surf  dashing  free, 
And  I  catch  the  sound  of  a  sea-bird's  scream : 

Yo,  ho  !    for  the  open  sea  ! 

Once  more  I  breathe  the  strong  salt  air, 

While  around  the  sea-gulls  fly; 
And  the  stormy  petrel  rocks  below, 

Where  the  tossing  waves  dash  high. 
And  the  great  white  ships,  with  all  sails  spread, 

Leave,  the  land  upon  the  lea; 
And  the  wild  winds,  rollicking,  cry  aloud : 

Yo,  ho  !   for  the  open  sea  ! 

By  and  by  they  began  to  see  before  them  the  end  of  the 
island.  The  great  white  light-house  towering  high  above  the 
cliffs  had  long  been  in  sight,  but  now  they  could  look  out  into 
the  ocean.  A  fleet  of  small  craft  lay  there,  pitching  up  and 
down  in  the  heavy  swell  that  came  in  from  the  sea. 

"  What  are  all  those  boats  doing  ? "  asked  Rose. 


MR.  LONGWOOD  ASKS  A    QUESTION. 


327 


"  Fishing,"    said    Capt.    Jackson.      "  There    is    no   place    in    the 
world   like   this    for  fish.     You   have   only  to   put   in   a   line,  and 


A   FISHING-BOAT   OFF   MONTAUK   POINT. 


pull  up  a  fish.     These  boats,  many  of  them,  come  from  New  Lon 
don,  and  stay  out  here  for  days." 

"  Do  the  fish  bite  here  now  on    Sundays  ? "  asked    Mr.  Long- 
wood. 


328  A   PRAYING  AND  A   PIOUS  COMPANY. 

"  Didn't  they  always  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  I  have  a  book  at  home,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  called 
*  Magnalia  Christi.'  It  was  written  by  a  very  eminent,  if  not  the 
most  eminent,  minister  of  New  England,  in  the  old  colonial  days. 
In  it  you  will  find  a  passage  something  like  this  :  — 

1  "'On  the  1 6th  of  October,  in  this  present  year  1697,  there  arrived  at  New 
Haven  a  sloop  of  about  fifty  tuns,  whereof  Mr.  William  Trowbridge  was  master: 
the  vessel  belonged  unto  New  Haven,  the  persons  on  board  were  seven ;  and  sev 
enteen  long  weeks  had  they  now  spent  since  they  came  from  their  port,  which 
was  Fayal.  By  so  unusually  tedious  a  passage,  a  terrible  famine  unavoidably  came 
upon  them ;  &  for  the  five  last  weeks  of  their  voyage  they  were  so  destitute  of  all 
food,  that  thro'  faintness  they  would  have  chosen  death  rather  than  life.  But  they 
were  a  praying  &  a  pious  company ;  and  when  "  these  poor  men  cried  unto  the 
Lord,  he  heard  &  saved  them."  God  sent  his  dolphins  to  attend  'em;  and  of 
these  they  caught  still  one  every  day,  which  was  enough  to  serve  'em :  only  on 
Saturdays  they  still  catched  a  couple  :  and  on  the  Lord's  Days  they  could  catch 
none  at  all.  With  all  possible  skill  &  care  they  could  not  supply  themselves  with 
the  fish  in  any  other  number  or  order;  and  indeed  with  an  holy  blush  at  last  they 
left  off  trying  to  do  any  thing  on  the  Lord's  Days,  when  they  were  so  well  sup- 
ply'd  on  the  Saturdays. 

" '  Thus  the  Lord  kept  feeding  a  company  that  put  their  trust  in  him,  as  he 
did  his  Israel  with  his  manna :  and  thus  they  continu'd  until  the  dolphins  came 
to  that  change  of  water,  where  they  us'd  to  leave  the  vessels.  Then  they  so 
strangely  surrendered  themselves,  that  the  company  took  twenty-seven  of  'em; 
which  not  only  suffic'd  them  until  they  came  ashore,  but  also  some  of  'em  were 
brought  ashore  dry'd,  as  a  monument  of  the  divine  benignity.'  " 

The  effect   of  this    story  on    Capt.  Jackson  was   peculiar.     He 

1  As  Mr.  Longwood  was  not  quite  exact  in  the  wording  of  this  passage,  we  have  asked 
Tom  Longwood  to  copy  it  out  of  the  book,  and  give  it  here  just  as  it  was  written. 


A   FISH-STORY. 


329 


turned  toward  the  boys,  put  his  tongue  in  his  cheek,  and  winked 
three  distinct  winks. 

Mr.  Long-wood  looked  up,  and  saw  him. 

"  Then  you  don't  believe  it  ? "  he  asked. 

"  I  didn't  say  that,"  said  the  captain  ;    "  but   it   sounds   to   me 
a  good  deal   like 
a  fish-story." 

Just  then  a 
voice  was  heard 
shouting,  "  Skip 
per,  ahoy  !  " 

Close  to  their 
stern  was  passing 
a  small  fishing- 
craft  ;  and  stand 
ing  up  in  it,  one 
hand  grasping 
the  tiller,  was  a 
weather-beaten 
fellow,  with  a 
hearty,  open  face. 

"  Ye  seem  to 
have  your  family 
aboard,  skipper,"  he  bawled,  with  a  grin,  as  Capt.  Jackson  an 
swered  his  hail.  "  Their  keep  must  be  a  big  drain  on  ye. 
Now,  if  ye've  a  nice  spry  lad  that  ye'd  like  to  'prentice  out, 
chuck  him  over,  and  I'll  pick  him  up.  Must  be  spry  and  handy, 
though,  and  know  how  to  clean  fish." 


THE   JOVIAL   FISHERMAN. 


33°  MRS.  LONG  WOOD  DEC  WES   TO  LAND. 

The  girls  and  boys  all  laughed,  and  the  old  man  seemed 
highly  delighted  at  the  way  his  little  joke  had  been  taken. 

"  A  pleasant  v'yage  to  ye  all,"  he  said,  and  he  took  off  his 
hat  to  them. 

By  this  time  the  heavy  swell  from  the  sea  was  beginning  to 
reach  them,  and  "  The  Mavis  "  rose  and  fell  on  it  in  a  way  that 
made  Mrs.  Longwood  decide  that  they  would  land  at  once.  "  It 
will  be  quite  dinner-time  when  we  are  landed,  and  have  climbed 
the  hill  to  the  light-house,"  she  said.  "  You  boys  can  all  go  to 
sea  this  afternoon,  if  you  wish ;  and  the  rest  of  us  will  drive 
back  over  the  moors.  I  took  the  precaution  to  order  the  stage 
to  meet  us  here." 

So  "  The  Mavis "  was  headed  into  the  quieter  waters,  under 
shelter  of  the  point,  and  they  made  a  landing  by  the  aid  of  her 
boat.  In  half  an  hour  they  had  climbed  the  hill,  and  were  at 
the  light-house. 

Instinctively  they  all  ran  out  to  the  edge  of  the  point.  A 
hundred  feet  or  more  sheer  below  them,  lay  the  sea.  Great  swells, 
the  remnants  of  yesterday's  storm,  came  rolling  in  from  the  ocean, 
pitching  up  and  down  the  fleet  of  fishing-craft  like  so  many  toy- 
boats.  Ten  miles  away,  Block  Island  rose  out  of  the  sea.  On 
one  side  of  them  was  the  boundless  ocean,  and,  on  the  other, 
Long  Island  Sound.  Overhead  swept  the  sea-gulls,  with  long, 
steady  beat  of  wings,  uttering  hoarse  cries. 

They  all  stood  fascinated  for  a  few  moments.  Jack  was  the 
first  to  break  the  spell. 

"  I  fancy  I  detect  the  odor  of  broiled  bluefish,"  he  said, 
sniffing  the  air.  "  Dinner  must  be  ready.  Let's  go  in." 


A   NEW  KIND   OF  ICE-BOAT.  33 1 

They  made  their  way  to  the  little  parlor,  and  seated  them 
selves.  The  odor  of  broiled  bluefish  was  much  stronger.  It 
was  evident  to  the  least  tutored  nose  that  dinner  could  not  be 
far  off. 

Nevertheless  it  seemed  to  the  hungry  young  folk  to  be  a 
long  while  in  coming.  Jack  wandered  restlessly  about ;  but  Tom, 
taking  down  a  book  from  the  chimney-shelf,  began  to  read. 

"  Why,  this  is  a  jolly  book  !  "  he  said  after  a  little,  looking 
up.  "It  is  written  by  a  man  who  was  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  during  the  Revolution." 

"  '  My  feyther  fit  into  the  Revolution,' '  remarked  Jack  *r 
"  '  that  is,  he  druv  a  baggage- wagon.  He  was  wounded  ;  that 
is,  he  was  kicked  by  a  mule.' ' 

"  This  man  drove  a  baggage-wagon  too,"  laughed  Tom.  "  It's 
quite  jolly.  The  part  I  have  been  reading  tells  how  he  went  up 
Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  on  the  ice,  to  Canada.  Coming 
back,  he  passed  great  numbers  of  sleighs  carrying  troops  north 
ward.  On  Lake  George,  he  says  the  men  stood  up  on  the  seats, 
with  arms  locked.  The  wind  was  fresh  from  behind,  and  carried 
them  on  at  such  a  pace,  that  the  horses  had  to  go  at  a  full 
gallop,  to  keep  the  sleigh  from  running  on  their  heels." 

"  Read  us  a  little,"  asked  Kate. 

So  Tom  began  :  — 

"'Early  in  the  year  1777,  my  father  and  I  were  again  In 
active  employment.  Large  quantities  of  provisions  had  been 
accumulating  at  Bennington  for  the  use  of  our  northern  armies, 
and  the  New-England  people  had  been  quite  industrious  in  fur 
nishing  their  quota  of  supplies.  As  there  was  always  some  con- 


332  OVER   THE  HILLS  AND  FAR  AWAY. 

tention  about  getting  a  job,  as  it  was  called,  my  father  took  the 
precaution  to  bring  the  loads  contracted  for,  down  to  his  own 
farm,  and  then  he  carried  them  to  the  north  afterwards,  as  he 
had  leisure.  We  went  with  them  to  Whitehall,  then  known  as 
Skenesborough.  Thence  we  travelled  down  Lake  George  to  Ti, 
and  there  delivered  our  loads.  On  our  second  trip,  we  had 
scarcely  unloaded  our  sleighs,  when  Col.  Hay,  well  known  as  an 
active  and  efficient  quartermaster-general,  informed  us  that  we 
must  stay,  and  commence  dragging  timber  for  the  bridge  which 
was  about  to  be  constructed,  by  order  of  Congress,  between  Ti 
and  Mount  Independence.  As  we  had  not  yet  fulfilled  our  con 
tract  in  regard  to  forwarding  the  supplies,  my  father  remonstrated, 
and  mentioned  that,  if  he  was  not  allowed  to  bring  on  the 
remainder,  as  he  had  contracted,  before  the  lake  opened,  it  would 
after  that  become  impracticable.  Col.  Hay,  however,  said  that  it 
was  far  more  important  for  him  to  assist  in  the  construction  of 
the  works,  than  to  transport  the  supplies.  My  father,  on  this 
occasion,  gave  a  specimen  of  his  boldness  and  ingenuity,  and  it 
illustrated  the  manner  in  which  every  thing  was  managed  in 
those  days.  An  officer  was  despatched  to  take  charge  of  our 
party ;  and  my  father  then  requested  permission  to  cross  over  to 
Mount  Independence,  to  deposit  his  load.  He  gave  me  private 
instructions  to  follow  him,  at  all  hazards.  The  officer  jumped 
into  my  sleigh,  and  stood  up  in  it.  My  father  led  the  way,  and 
drove  down  hill  at  full  speed  in  another  direction  than  the  one 
intended.  I  followed  him  as  fast  as  possible,  when  the  officer 
cried  out,  "  Where  are  you  going  to  ? "  I  replied,  "  After  my 
father ; "  and  a  fresh  application  of  the  whip  made  the  horses 


CARRYING   TROOPS   INTO 


A   NEW  SORT  OF  GUIDE-BOARD.  335 

dash  on  in  the  most  furious  manner.  The  officer,  in  full  dress, 
and  not  relishing  the  strange  manoeuvre,  nor  even  understanding 
it,  thought  proper  to  jump  out  of  the  sleigh,  and,  in  doing  so, 
described  a  parabolic  curve,  or  rather  a  long  ellipse,  which  gave 
him  time  to  turn  heels  upward,  and  descended  with  velocity,  head 
foremost  in  the  snow.  I  gave  him  one  look  over  my  shoulder, 
as  he  was  flying  through  the  air,  and  then  another,  when  I  per 
ceived  him  stuck  upright  in  the  snow,  like  a  guide-board,  one 
foot  pointing  to  Mount  Independence,  and  the  other  to  Ti.  But 
I  was  too  happy  at  the  thought  of  again  rejoining  my  father,  to 
indulge  in  any  other  sentiments  than  those  of  exceeding  joy. 

"  '  We  very  soon  got  under  the  brow  of  the  hill,  and  on  the 
lake  shore,  where,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  many  others  of  our 
companions  before  us,  parleying  with  a  sentry,  who  guarded  the 
roads  to  the  lake,  and  who  required  them  to  show  a  permit 
before  he  could  allow  them  to  pass.  It  was  a  critical  moment 
for  us,  as  we  expected  an  alarm  and  pursuit.  One  John  Mahony, 
a  neighbor  of  ours,  had  previously  drawn  out  of  his  pocket  an 
old  certificate,  and,  though  unable  to  read  himself,  endeavored, 
from  memory,  to  mutter  out  the  words  of  a  permit.  Nor  was 
the  sentry  any  wiser,  for  he  could  not  read  ;  and  Mahony  had 
declared  that  it  was  a  pass  for  nine  sleighs,  the  exact  number 
that  was  already  there,  before  we  arrived.  My  father,  with  great 
presence  of  mind,  corrected  him,  and  read  the  paper  so  it  ap 
peared  a  permit  for  eleven  sleighs.  The  sentry  took  all  for 
granted,  as  he  saw  the  paper  before  his  eyes  ;  and  we  came  off 
together  in  high  glee.  We  were  then  safe  ;  for,  however  within 
the  line  of  sentinels  we  were  liable  to  detention,  beyond  them 


33<5  A   DISCOMFITED  PRESS-GANG, 

we   knew   we   were    not   to   be   overtaken,  either  by  their  fire,  or 
by  pursuit  on  any  of  the  worn-out  horses  of  the  garrison. 

"  '  Some  others  of  our  companions  were  not  so  fortunate. 
Coming  down  the  wrong  road,  with  similar  intentions  of  escaping 
from  impressment  like  that  which  my  father  had  determined  not 
to  submit  to,  they  crossed  the  very  same  sentinel,  though  under 
circumstances  which  showed  confusion  at  seeing  him  ;  still  they 
determined  to  force  their  way  past  him.  He  hailed  them.  They 
pretended  not  to  hear  him.  He  hailed  again.  They  were  deaf. 
He  hailed  again.  They  kept  their  horses  at  full  speed.  The 
sentinel  fired  ;  and,  as  they  were  exactly  in  the  range  of  his  fire, 
the  ball  struck  the  nearest  sleigh,  passed  between  the  legs  of 
the  driver,  between  the  horses  in  front,  and  struck  the  next 
sleigh,  where  it  lodged.  They  were  out  of  reach  before  he  could 
fire  again.  When  we  arrived  at  Fort  Anne,  we  had  another  similar 
attempt  at  coercion  to  resist.  A  sentinel  there  also  stopped  us  ; 
and  we  were  ordered  to  remain,  and  to  load  with  hides,  to  be 
carried  down  to  Albany,  for  the  purpose  of  being  manufactured 
into  shoes  for  the  army.  As  it  was  getting  late  in  the  season, 
and  we  were  anxious  to  finish  our  contract  before  it  was  impracti 
cable,  objections  were  made  to  going  on  to  Albany  at  that  time. 
Mahony  endeavored  to  force  the  guard  ;  but  a  scuffle  took  place, 
and  he  was  overpowered.  An  officer  came  up ;  and,  as  he  was 
inclined  to  use  compulsion,  we  hit  upon  the  expedient  of  giving 
one  of  our  companions,  an  honest,  good-natured  militia  officer, 
the  title  of  colonel,  and,  in  a  measure,  placed  ourselves  under 
his  protection.  The  mention  of  his  title  had  considerable  effect, 
upon  the  press-gang.  By  mutual  agreement,  a  further  arrange- 


ANOTHER  RACE  FOR  LIBERTY.  337 

ment  was  to  be  made  in  relation  to  the  business,  at  the  fort, 
which  was  on  a  piece  of  rising  ground.  The  sentinel  himself, 
far  from  being  boisterous,  civilly  pointed  out  the  road,  which  went 
across  the  creek  and  around  a  point  of  land,  while  he  took  a 
short  cut  across  the  point,  to  be  there  as  soon  as  we.  The 
colonel  forgot  his  rank  and  his  promise,  and  so  did  we.  The 
moment  we  were  out  of  view,  under  the  rise  of  ground,  we  left 
the  officer  to  imagine  what  he  pleased.  We  drove  off  at  full 
speed,  and  were  soon  out  of  his  reach.  This  post  of  Fort  Anne 
was,  in  fact,  a  mere  block-house  surrounded  by  palisades.  It 
was  near  the  creek,  which  poured  down  the  rocks  into  the  basin 
below,  and  in  its  passage  turned  the  wheel  of  a  saw-mill.  We 
escaped  from  the  block-house  and  its  occupants,  and  reached 
our  home  without  further  molestation.  We  took  up  our  last 
load,  and  again  set  out  for  Ticonderoga,  which  we  reached  with 
out  incident.  But,  when  we  arrived  there,  some  apology  was 
indispensable  for  our  previous  conduct.  My  father,  albeit  unused 
to  play  the  orator,  acted  as  spokesman  for  the  delinquents.  As 
I  have  a  full  recollection  of  the  interview  with  Col.  Hay,  I  will 
give  the  particulars.  Wiping  his  forehead  with  the  back  of  his 
hand,  handkerchiefs  being  rather  scarce  in  those  days,  and  then 
straightening  his  locks  over  his  forehead,  he  gave  a  hem,  and  a 
nod,  and  then  observed  briefly,  and  to  the  point,  "  Well,  here 
we  are  again,  Col.  Hay."  —  "  Yes,  so  I  perceive,"  said  the  colonel ; 
"  and  the  public  interests  have  suffered  severely  by  your  late 
conduct.  I  must  hold  you  responsible  for  the  consequences." 
My  father  instantly  replied,  "  I  have  no  objections  to  be  held 
responsible :  my  urgent  business  is  now  finished.  My  word  is 


338  THE   TEAMSTERS  COME   TO  GRIEF. 

kept,  my  contract  is  finished.  You  can  take  any  course  the  law 
will  warrant"  Col.  Hay  knew  his  man.  He  immediately  ob 
served,  "  Give  me  your  word  that  the  sleighs  in  your  company 
shall  remain  to  assist  us  for  a  few  days,  and  I  am  satisfied." 
My  father  did  not  hesitate  to  give  the  required  promise,  as  he 
was  always  willing  to  aid  the  service,  and  he  well  knew  the 
necessity  of  completing  the  works  of  defence,  then  in  a  state  of 
preparation,  to  resist  the  approaching  enemy. 

"  '  The  rapid  change  of  the  weather  soon  rendered  our  sleighs 
a  while  useless,  and  our  return  home  necessary.  My  father  was 
again  the  organ  of  communication  ;  and  Col.  Hay  agreed  to  dis 
charge  the  whole  party,  if  three  pairs  of  horses  could  be  pur 
chased  at  fair  prices  for  the  service.  My  father  readily  undertook 
to  obtain  them,  and  a  general  muster  of  all  our  cattle  immedi 
ately  took  place.  The  object  was  then  explained ;  and,  as  he  had 
from  the  first  anticipated,  all  were  willing  to  sell.  The  three 
pairs  were  selected,  with  sleighs  and  harness.  The  highest  price 
paid  was  two  hundred  and  seventy  dollars.  The  money  was 
counted  out  to  them  from  a  store  of  Continental  currency.  The 
purchase  being  thus  effected,  we  came  away,  right  glad  to  be 
released  from  the  laborious  operation  of  dragging  over  hill  and 
dale  the  immense  pieces  of  timber  which  were  to  become  integral 
parts  of  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga. 

"  '  At  length  we  set  out  for  Skenesborough  ;  and  there  fresh 
trouble  awaited  us.  The  commanding  officer  remembered  the 
trick  we  played  him,  but  had  not  ventured  to  interrupt  us  on 
our  way  north,  loaded  as  we  were  with  important  supplies  for 
Ticonderoga.  Now,  however,  a  sergeant  and  file  of  men  took 


AN   OUTPOST. 


A   MOMENT  OF  MISERY.  341 

possession  of  our  "  pale  caravan."  We  were  compelled  by  the 
law  of  the  strongest  to  go  to  work  drawing  saw-logs  for  the 
confounded  little  saw-mill  I  have  before  mentioned.  Here  we 
tugged  away,  in  no  good  humor,  for  several  days,  when  my 
father's  generalship  again  brought  us  off  with  flying  colors.  The 
escape  from  our  new  tormentors  was  brought  about  in  the  fol 
lowing  manner  :  A  day  was  fixed  on  which  to  make  the  attempt. 
On  that  day  I  was  told  by  my  father  to  take  charge  of  the  pair 
of  horses  I  had  usually  under  my  care,  and  lead  them  into  the 
woods,  where,  in  a  certain  place,  covered  up  with  branches  of 
wood,  I  would  find  my  sleigh  ;  and,  that  done,  to  follow,  by  a 
given  route,  the  party  who  were  to  take  an  early  start.  I  did 
so  ;  leading  one  horse,  and  riding  the  other.  When  I  reached 
the  forest,  I  could  not  at  first  discover  the  place  where  our  sleigh 
was  concealed.  I  looked,  and  looked  in  vain.  Every  moment  I 
feared  the  long  absence  of  the  company  would  lead  to  inquiry 
and  detection.  They  were  all  well  gone  ;  and  I  was  left  alone, 
to  bear,  perhaps,  the  weight  of  increased  resentment.  My  father 
gone  too  !  The  idea  was  absolutely  frightful.  At  this  moment 
my  eyes  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  place  of  concealment.  I  moved 
off  at  a  brisk  pace  to  the  spot,  and  found  the  object  of  my 
search.  It  was  but  a  minute's  work  to  adjust  the  harness.  It 
took  but  another  to  get  my  horses  at  full  speed.  I  drove  them 
for  eight  miles  as  fast  as  they  would  go  ;  and  a  joyful  meeting 
it  was  when  I  overtook  my  friends.  They  had  left  me  behind 
for  the  purpose  of  making  good  their  retreat,  well  knowing  that, 
if  I  had  been  detected,  my  youth  would  have  saved  me  from 
any  difficulties,  and  have  prevented  my  detention.  My  escape, 


342  DINNER  IS  READY. 


however,  was  foremost  in  my  own  mind,  and  I  considered  myself 
almost  a  hero,  in  consequence  of  the  adventure.' ' 

"  Dinner   is  ready,   sir,"   said   a  voice,  as  Tom   read   the   last 
word. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


AFTER  dinner  was  over, 
Mrs.  Long-wood  proposed 
that  they  should  all  sit 
quietly  for  a  time,  and  get 
thoroughly  rested.  But 
this  proposition  the  young 
people  treated  with  scorn. 
They  had  done  nothing" 
to  tire  them,  they  de 
clared  ;  and  they  did  not 
want  to  rest.  So,  leaving 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood 
comfortably  settled  on  the  sunny  porch  of  the  light-keeper's 
house,  they  all  ran  around  to  the  tall  white  tower,  and  began 
the  ascent  of  the  dark,  spiral  stairs.  Presently  they  came  troop 
ing  down  again,  as  restless  as  ever. 

"  It  must  be  getting  quite  late,"  said  Tom,  after  a  little ; 
"  and  the  eight  miles  over  the  moors,  back  to  House  No.  2,  is 
over  a  rough  road.  The  twilight,  too,  falls  early  at  this  time  of 
the  year.  I  think,  mamma,  I  should  feel  easier  if  you  set  out 
on  your  homeward  drive  quite  soon." 

343 


344  A    CHASE  ACROSS   THE  MOORS. 

"  Thanks  for  your  consideration,  Tom,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood, 
laughing.  "  I  fancy,  however,  that  I  detect  one  thought  for  me, 
and  two  for  yourself.  You  would  fain  be  back  on  your  schooner, 
I  fear." 

"  I  think,  though,  after  all,"  said  Lou,  "  that  Tom's  idea  is  a 
good  one.  We  could  walk  along  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  the 
stage  could  pick  us  up  whenever  we  felt  tired." 

The  girls  all  approved  of  this,  and  scampered  down  the 
hill  to  the  stable,  to  deposit  their  wraps  in  the  stage.  Then, 
waving  their  handkerchiefs  as  a  good-by  to  the  boys,  they 
chased  one  another  across  the  moors,  stopping  at  last,  breathless, 
on  the  crest  of  one  of  the  highest  swells,  to  look  back. 

"  Dear  me !  "  said  Carrie,  "  I  forgot  all  about  mamma.  We 
ought  to  have  waited  for  her." 

"  Let  us  go  back,"  said  Rose. 

"  There  she  comes  out  of  the  house  now !  "  said  Gertrude, 
panting  for  breath  ;  "  and  she  is  walking  to  the  stables.  Now 
she  is  getting  into  the  stage,  and  the  man  is  bringing  out  the 
horses.  We'd  better  wait  here." 

Presently  the  stage  came  up  to  them,  and  Mrs.  Longwood 
got  out.  Then  they  strolled  on  together,  while  the  lumbering 
vehicle  followed,  with  much  creaking  of  harness  and  rattling  of 
joints,  as  it  jolted  over  the  rough  way. 

Their  run  had  put  them  all  out  of  breath,  so  that,  for  some 
little  time,  they  walked  along  sedately  enough.  But  of  a  sud 
den  they  came  to  a  break  in  the  cliffs,  where  an  easy  descent 
might  be  made  to  the  water's  edge. 

"  Let's  go  down,"  said  they  all.     "  May  we,  Mrs.  Longwood  ?  " 


THE  FURTHER  ADVENTURES  OF  THE    WAGONER. 


345 


"  It  looks  perfectly  safe,"  said  that  lady.  "  I  will  have  our 
driver  take  one  of  those  buffalo-robes  off  the  seat  of  the  wagon, 
and  spread  it  out  for  me  in  this  hollow,  where  I  shall  be  shel 
tered  from  the  wind.  You  may  be  gone  as  long  as  you  please, 
provided  you  call  to  me  from  time  to  time,  to  let  me  know  that 
all  is  going  well." 


ALONG   THE   CLIFFS. 


So,  down  they  went ;  and  it  was  more  than  a  half-hour  be 
fore  they  re-appeared,  clambering  up  the  cliff's  side,  hot  and 
breathless. 

"  What  a  heat  you  are  all  in  !  "  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Sit 
down  here  in  this  warm  nook,  and  cool  off  gradually,  and  I  will 
read  to  you  of  the  further  adventures  of  the  wagoner  of  whom 
we  heard  at  noon." 


THE  INDIANS  ARE   COMING. 


"  Why,  you  have  brought  the  book  away  with  you  !  "  exclaimed 
Carrie,  in  astonishment. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  :  "  I  persuaded  the  light-keeper 
to  sell  it  to  me. 

"  To  make  you  understand  clearly  what  I  am  going  to  read, 
I  will  give  you  a  little  bit  of  history.  During  the  Revolution, 
when  the  English  held  New- York  City,  it  was  planned  that  a 
British  army  should  march  from  Canada  down  Lake  Champlain, 
and  force  its  way  through  to  Albany,  where  the  New- York  army 
would  effect  a  junction  with  it." 

"  I  see,"  said  Lou.  "  It  was  to  be  a  sort  of  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea,  and  would  cut  the  Americans  in  two." 

"Exactly,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "Well,  the  army  assembled 
in  Canada,  under  Gen.  Burgoyne.  A  large  army  it  was,  toox  for 
those  days  ;  and  the  British,  beside,  had  a  great  following  of 
Indian  allies.  Many  was  the  council-fire  that  had  been  burned 
the  preceding  winter  ;  and  the  savages,  led  by  their  great  chief 
Brant,  were  wild  for  the  march  to  begin. 

"  So,  in  the  spring,  they  advanced.  The  Americans  fell  back 
from  Ticonderoga,  which  they  had  fortified,  and  the  British  came 
on  toward  Saratoga,  where  our  wagoner  lived.  And  now  I  will 
let  him  speak  for  himself. 

"  '  It  was  in  August,  and  we  had  just  risen  from  dinner. 
My  father  had  remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  invaders' 
army  much  longer  than  most  of  his  friends  ;  and,  relying  upon 
the  advantages  of  early  advice  from  our  army,  pursued  his  agri 
cultural  avocations  with  his  usual  diligence.  It  was  then,  when, 
as  I  have  before  mentioned,  we  were  just  risen  from  the  dinner- 


A   FRIGHTENED  NEGRO. 


table,    when    one    of    my   uncle's    negroes    came   running   to   the 
house,  with  eyes  dilated.     We  learned    from    him    that   an    Indian 


INDIANS   COMING  TO  A   COUNCIL. 


had   been    discovered    in    the    orchard    near   the   house,    evidently 
intending   to    shoot   a   person   belonging   to    the    family,  who  was 


348  THE   CLOTHES  ARE  HIDDEN  IN  A    CASK. 

at  work  in  the  garden  :  the  blacks,  however,  had  given  the 
alarm,  and  the  man  escaped  into  the  house,  while,  at  the  same 
moment,  six  other  savages  rose  from  their  place  of  concealment, 
and  ran  into  the  woods.  This  was  on  our  side  of  the  river. 
The  savages  that  remained  with  Burgoyne  were  continually  for 
miles  in  advance  of  him,  on  his  flanks,  reconnoitring  our  move 
ments,  and  beating  up  the  settlements.  Their  cruelty  was  not 
to  be  restrained.  My  father,  on  learning  the  fact  of  their  ap 
proach,  went  immediately  over  to  his  brother's  house,  which  was 
about  one- fourth  of  a  mile  off,  to  ascertain  what  was  to  be  done 
for  the  safety  of  the  families.  He  found  him  making  every  ex 
ertion  to  move  away,  and  the  domestics  busily  engaged  in  getting 
every  thing  ready.  During  my  father's  absence,  my  mother,  who 
was  a  resolute  woman,  was  industriously  placing  the  most  valuable 
of  her  clothing  in  a  cask ;  and  at  her  instance  I  went  out  with 
some  of  our  servants  to  catch  a  pair  of  fleet  horses,  and  harness 
them  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  wagon.  To  those  who  now  sit 
quietly  by  their  own  firesides,  I  leave  it  to  be  imagined  with 
what  feelings  we  hastened  to  abandon  our  home,  and  fly  for 
safety,  we  knew  not  whither. 

"  '  I  can  never  forget  the  distress  of  our  family  at  this  moment 
of  peril  and  alarm.  The  wagon  was  soon  at  the  door  ;  and,  as 
my  father  came  up,  he  directed  us  to  carry  a  few  loads  down  to 
the  river,  and  place  them  in  a  light  bateau  which  belonged  to 
us,  and  was  fastened  to  the  shore,  at  the  meadow's  bank,  near 
the  ferry.  The  first  time  I  went  down  alone,  and  soon  unloaded 
the  contents  of  the  wagon.  The  distance  I  had  to  go  was  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  road  ran  down  the  meadow,  and  was 


WE  PREPARE   TO  ESCAPE. 


349 


cut  through  the  bank  on  the  river-side,  in  order  to  make  it  easy 
of  ascent.     Between   the    upland   and   lowland  of  our  farm,  there 


BRANT. 


was  a  board  fence,  and  a  few  bars  were  usually  placed  across, 
the  road.  The  second  time,  having  some  heavier  articles  to 
carry,  I  was  accompanied  by  my  father.  As  we  approached  the 


35°  A   SUDDEN  ALARM. 


fence,  which  he  had  left  down,  we  saw  the  third  bar  across  the 
road,  so  as  effectually  to  prevent  our  passing  through.  "  What 
does  this  mean  ? "  exclaimed  he.  I  was  breathless  with  agitation, 
and  stopped  the  horses.  My  father  sprang  out,  making  an  ex 
pressive  motion  with  his  hand,  to  keep  back  for  a  few  moments. 
Warily  and  carefully  turning  his  eye  in  every  direction,  he  ap 
proached  the  bar,  and  let  it  down.  I  drove  on,  he  jumped  in, 
and  we  lost  no  time  in  hastening  home.  The  circumstance  gave 
us  great  uneasiness.  When  we  reached  home  he  made  minute 
inquiries  among  his  laborers  and  blacks,  if  any  of  them  had 
been  down  to  the  meadow.  He  found  that  none  of  them  had 
been  away  from  the  house.  He  then  formed  the  conclusion  that 
some  Indians  had  passed  along  that  way,  and  supposing  we  had 
crossed  the  river,  and  got  beyond  their  reach  (for  we  were  hid 
from  their  observation  by  being  under  the  bank  at  the  river 
side),  had  gone  away.  The  danger  was  so  near  as  to  induce 
him  to  make  more  speed,  and  use  greater  precaution.  A  gun 
was  loaded,  and  placed  in  my  hands ;  and  I  patrolled  about  the 
house  with  a  feeling  of  some  responsibility.  I  strained  my  eye 
to  detect  the  least  appearance  of  motion,  presented  my  piece  at 
every  waving  bush,  but  was  not  under  the  necessity  of  dischar 
ging  it.  A  friendly  neighbor,  who  was  also  anxious  to  ascertain 
the  state  of  things,  came  up  at  this  time,  and  assisted  me  in 
keeping  guard.  My  father,  in  the  interim,  placed  the  family  in 
the  wagon.  He  also  buried  in  the  road  some  valuable  domestic 
utensils,  which  we  recovered  some  years  afterwards,  in  perfect 
preservation.  At  last  we  bade  adieu  to  our  homestead,  and 
arrived  safely  at  the  river.  At  about  five  o'clock  P.M.,  my  father 


FRESH  BREAD  AND  MUTTON.  351 

crossed  over  with  the  family  at  the  ferry,  while  I  and  one  of 
the  blacks  were  put  into  a  small  canoe,  and  we  proceeded  down 
the  stream  as  fast  as  we  could  ply  our  paddles.  We  joined  the 
family  at  Vandenbergh's,  eight  miles  down  .  the  river,  where  we 
obtained  further  information.  We  learned  that  a  party  of  Indians 
had  been  going  from  our  neighborhood  to  the  south-east,  after 
-surprising  a  farmer  by  the  name  of  Lake.  While  working  at 
his  trade  as  a  carpenter,  in  an  out-house  near  his  dwelling,  he 
was  surprised  by  the  salutation  from  the  savages,  of  "  Sago" 
With  great  presence  of  mind,  he  said  "  Sago"  in  reply  to  them. 
He  saw  that  resistance  would  be  vain,  and  therefore  continued 
quietly  at  work.  They  looked  at  him  a  few  moments,  and  then 
went  towards  his  house,  but  took  nothing  from  it.  On  coming 
out,  they  discovered  an  oven  which  gave  signs  of  having  just 
been  heated.  They  opened  it,  and,  finding  it  full  of  bread,  took 
each  of  them  a  loaf.  In  a  field  adjacent,  a  sheep  came  straying 
near  them ;  one  of  them  instantly  shot  it,  and  in  a  few  mo 
ments  it  was  cut  into  quarters,  and  carried  off.  Lake  was  a 
resolute  man,  and  observed,  if  he  could  only  have  had  any  chance 
with  them,  he  never  would  have  suffered  them  all  to  escape 
alive.  At  Vandenbergh's  we  found  my  father,  who  had  arrived 
there  first,  and  was  keeping  an  anxious  lookout  for  us  on  the 
shore. 

"  '  We  found,  on  landing,  a  number  of  people,  who,  like  our 
selves,  had  been  driven  from  their  homes.  We  passed  the  night 
amongst  them.  Some  obtained  accommodations  within  doors ; 
some  were  happy  to  be  under  the  cover  of  the  cattle-sheds ; 
while  others  stretched  themselves  in  their  wagons,  and  endeavored 


352  A   LONG   CAVALCADE   OF   WAGONS. 

to  snatch  a  few  moments  of  repose.  Early  in  the  morning  the 
sleepers  were  awakened,  and  no  fresh  rumors  alarmed  them  to 
any  very  hasty  movements.  Indeed,  my  father  rather  rashly  re 
solved  to  return  home,  accompanied  by  a  few  congenial  spirits, 
to  get  further  information  of  the  enemy,  and,  if  possible,  to 
save  some  of  his  cattle  and  farming-stock.  I  say  rashly,  as  Bur- 
goyne  was  expected  down  with  his  army  every  hour.  Soon  after 
he  was  gone,  the  whole  body  of  the  people  moved  off  towards 
Stillwater,  a  general  panic  now  prevailing  among  them,  which 
seemed  every  hour  to  increase.  My  father,  however,  safely  reached 
his  house,  and  succeeded  in  getting  off  part  of  his  stock.  He 
immediately  pushed  for  the  Hoosick  River,  which  he  intended 
to  cross,  and  then  pass  over  into  New  England.  Corresponding 
arrangements  had  been  made  on  our  part,  when  he  left  us,  to 
rejoin  him  there.  Our  procession  of  flying  inhabitants  wore  a 
strange  and  melancholy  appearance.  A  long  cavalcade  of  wagons, 
filled  with  all  kinds  of  furniture,  not  often  selected  by  the  owners 
with  reference  to  their  use  or  value  on  occasions  of  alarm, 
stretched  along  the  road  ;  while  others  on  horseback,  and  here 
and  there  two  mounted  at  once  upon  a  steed  panting  under  the 
double  load,  were  followed  by  a  crowd  of  pedestrians.  These 
found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  the  rapid  flight  of  their 
mounted  friends.  Here  and  there  would  be  seen  some  humane 
person  assisting  the  more  unfortunate,  by  relieving  them  of  the 
packs  and  bundles  with  which  they  were  encumbered  ;  but  gen 
erally  a  principle  of  selfishness  prevented  much  interchange  of 
friendly  offices.  Every  one  for  himself,  was  the  constant  cry. 
After  my  father's  departure,  he  committed  to  me  the  care  of  his 


A   BRAVE  AND  DESPERATE    WOMAN.  355 

wagon  and  horses,  and  the  safe-conduct  of  my  mother  and  the 
family.  Unfortunately  for  me,  when  we  left  home  I  had  selected 
the  most  valuable  and  spirited  horses  ;  and  so  restive  did  I  now 
find  them,  that  they  completely  overcame  my  strength,  and  wearied 
my  patience.  They  were  continually  attempting  to  run  past  the 
wagons  ahead  of  me,  and  were  every  instant  making  an  effort 
to  get  off  the  road.  My  chafed  and  blistered  hands  could  no 
longer  restrain  them.  I  saw  that,  in  a  few  moments  more,  I 
should  be  unable  to  prevent  the  lamentable  consequences.  My 
mother  was  then  nursing  a  young  infant,  which  she  now  held  in 
her  arms,  and  felt  an  indescribable  anxiety  on  that  account.  She 
succeeded  in  making  a  person  who  came  alongside  of  us  sensi 
ble  of  our  distress,  and  hired  him  to  drive  the  horses  at  the  then 
dear  rate  of  a  shilling  a  mile  ;  but  he  soon  gave  up,  from  ina 
bility  to  control  them,  having  far  less  skill  than  myself.  In  this 
dilemma?  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  despair  in  her  looks,  she 
got  out  of  the  wagon,  and,  picking  up  a  stout  club  in  the  road, 
walked  on  for  many  miles  at  the  head  of  the  unruly  animals, 
and,  with  her  infant  on  one  arm,  actually  kept  them  back,  and 
restrained  them  from  breaking  the  line,  by  striking  them  over 
the  heads  with  the  stick  she  held  in  the  other.  And  so  great 
was  each  individual's  anxiety  for  himself,  that  not  a  person  in 
the  throng  offered  to  assist  her.  When  we  reached  Stillwater,  it 
was  evident  that  our  retreat  was  well-timed,  for  the  advance- 
guard  of  Gen.  Schuyler's  army  arrived  almost  as  soon  as  we 
did.  They  encamped  there ;  and  the  increasing  confusion  and 
noise  every  moment  added  new  difficulties  to  those  we  already 
were  doomed  to  encounter.  We  remained  here  all  night,  as  it 


356  A   NIGHT  OF   WRETCHEDNESS. 

was  our  intention  next  day  to  cross  the  river,  and  overtake  my 
father,  who,  by  this  time,  we  supposed  several  miles  on  his  way 
to  Massachusetts.  Some  of  his  brothers  also  agreed  to  take  the 
same  direction  ;  and  early  in  the  morning  we  crossed  the  river, 
and  travelled  a  whole  day  through  a  penetrating  rain,  and  over 
the  worst  of  roads.  We  had  gone  about  fifteen  miles  when 
darkness  overtook  us,  and  we  were  far  from  any  place  of  shelter. 
We  had  no  alternative  but  to  remain  there  till  morning ;  and, 
selecting  the  dryest  place  in  the  marsh,  where  we  were  fairly 
stuck  fast,  some  beds  were  taken  out  of  the  wagons,  and  laid 
on  the  ground.  On  these  my  mother  reposed,  if  the  wakeful 
and  comfortless  hours  could  be  said  to  have  been  repose.  We 
were  afraid  to  light  any  fire,  for  we  knew  the  woods  were  filled 
with  Tories  and  Indians.  To  our  hard  fate,  necessity  therefore 
compelled  us  to  submit.  Cold,  wet,  and  dreary  was  the  night : 
yet  it  was  not  without  its  consolation  ;  for,  before  morning  broke 
upon  our  wretched  bivouac,  my  father  arrived,  to  our  great 
astonishment  and  pleasure.  We  started  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  to  travel,  and  that  day  reached  San  Coick,  in  the  south 
part  of  Cambridge,  where  we  were  received  by  some  distant 
connections  with  much  hospitality.'-' 

"  How  glad  they  must  have  been  to  see  him  !  "  said  Kate. 
"  The  wagoner's  mother  must  have  been  of  the  same  stuff  as 
Jack's  great-grandmother,  I  should  imagine." 

"  Burgoyne  did  not  carry  out  his  great  scheme  of  dividing 
the  Americans,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Attacked  on  all  sides, 
he  was  obliged  to  retreat,  and  at  last  surrender.  As  soon  as 
his  retreat  began,  our  wagoner  and  his  father  made  their  way 


A    THOUSAND  EASTERN  MILITIA.  357 

back  to  their  home.  And  this  is  the  way  he  tells  of  their  home 
coming'  :  — 

"  '  I  mentioned  that  my  father  had  arrived  with  the  news  of 
the  retreat.  The  intelligence  was  joyful  to  us.  He  ordered  the 
black  to  get  three  horses  ready  early  in  the  morning,  to  take  us 
back  to  Saratoga.  Our  sleep,  though  not  sound,  was  filled  with 
pleasant  dreams.  Early  as  the  day  dawned,  all  were  on  the 
move  but  my  mother,  who  remained  behind.  We  met  on  the  road 
great  numbers  of  wounded  men  belonging  to  both  armies.  A 
great  many  were  carried  on  litters,  which  were  blankets  fastened 
to  a  frame  of  four  poles.  I  never  saw  the  effects  of  war  until 
now.  The  sight  of  these  wretched  people,  pale  and  lifeless,  with 
countenances  of  an  expression  peculiar  to  gunshot-wounds,  and 
the  sound  of  groaning  voices  as  each  motion  of  the  litter  re 
newed  the  anguish  of  their  wounds,  filled  me  with  horror,  and 
sickness  of  heart. 

"  '  We  reached  the  American  camp,  and  drove  through  it  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  my  uncle's  farm.  We  got  out, 
and  walked  along  the  bank,  to  see  if  there  was  any  thing  to 
aid  us  in  getting  across.  My  father  luckily  recognized  a  Capt. 
Knute  of  the  bateau  men,  who  kindly  offered  us  the  use  of  a 
scow,  and,  indeed,  saw  us  safely  over  the  river.  We  drove  that 
night  to  our  own  home.  But  oh,  how  much  changed  !  It  looked 
like  a  military  post,  to  which  use  it  was  actually  converted.  A 
thousand  Eastern  militia  were  quartered  around  the  premises. 
We  began  to  think  we  had  not  gained  much  by  coming  on  at 
this  juncture.  My  father,  however,  entered  the  house  in  the 
•dark,  and,  being  familiar  with  the  passages  and  rooms,  made  his 


358  STfA,  BOYS,   CLEAR   THE    WAY. 

way  into  the  stove-room,  which  he  naturally  thought  would  be 
most  comfortable.  Having  brought  a  candle  from  the  wagon 
with  him,  he  deliberately  lighted  it  at  the  stove.  The  moment 
it  glimmered,  a  person  jumped  off  his  bed,  and  observed  to  my 
father  with  as  much  twang  as  was  agreeable,  "  You  seem  to  be 
considerable  acquainted  here."  My  father's  reply  was,  "  I  used 
to  be."  The  stranger  rejoined,  "  You  are  the  owner,  maybe  ? " 
My  father  answered,  "No!  I  find  some  here  before  me."  — 
"Oh,  well!"  continued  the  speaker,  "you  shall  be  accommodated." 
At  this  instant  the  steady  blaze  of  the  candle  showed  the  room 
to  be  occupied  by  a  number  of  persons,  and  there  appeared  no 
probability  of  our  receiving  the  promised  accommodation.  But 
he  spoke  as  one  having  authority,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Stir, 
boys,  stir ;  clear  the  way :  here  is  the  owner  come !  "  They 
yawned  and  grunted,  and  got  out  of  the  way  with  unexpected 
good-nature.  He  also  placed  a  guard  over  our  wagon,  to  pro 
tect  it  from  invasion.  My  father,  in  order  to  return  his  civilities, 
brought  in  some  spirits  to  the  officer,  and  a  social  glass  was- 
handed  round.  It  was  an  unexpected  happiness  to  the  kind- 
hearted  Yankee.  The  draught  was  repeated  until  sleep  came  to 
refresh  us  after  our  fatigues.  Stretched  on  pallets  of  straw,  we 
laid  ourselves  down  ;  and,  after  strange  vicissitudes  of  hope  and 
fear,  we  sunk  to  rest  once  more  in  our  own  house,  every  ill  and 
every 'fatigue  forgotten.' 

"  Well,  we  had  better  be  on  our  homeward  way,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood,  as  she  closed  the  book,  "  or  Tom's  fears  for  our 
safety  may  come  true,  after  all.  Shall  we  walk  on  a  little,  or 
get  into  the  stage  ?  " 


A    CAPTIVE   CLOUD-HORSE.  359 

"  The  road  leaves  the  cliffs  here  for  some  miles,"  said  their 
driver.  "  I  think  you  would  do  well  to  ride." 

So  in  they  all  clambered,  and  the  horses  set  out  on  a  jog 
trot.  It  was  such  a  beautiful  day,  that,  for  very  lightness  of 
heart,  the  girls  broke  out  singing.  Overhead  the  clouds  in  great 
white  masses  were  flying  before  the  fresh  wind.  Away  on  the 
horizon  a  full-rigged  ship  was  making  its  way  on,  every  stitch 
of  canvas  spread.  The  sun  made  its  sails  gleam  white  and 
sparkling,  so  that,  as  Carrie  said,  it  looked  like  a  captive  cloud. 

"  You  are  not  the  first  that  has  had  that  idea,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood.  "  Did  you  ever  hear  this  ? 

A    SHIP    AT    SEA. 

Adown  the  sky  the  wild  cloud-horses  run, 

Tossing  their  glistening  manes  in  wanton  play; 
Their  unshod  feet  no  hoof-marks  leave  behind, 

As  through  the  blue  sky  fields  they  hold  their  way. 

But,  look  !   down  where  the  ocean  meets  the  sky, 

A  captive  cloud-horse  wears  his  life  away; 
Chained  to  a  huge  sea-plough,  and,  hapless,  doomed 

To  turn  a  never-ending  furrow  night  and  day. 

See  how  he  tugs  and  strains  to  burst  his  bonds, 

And  snorts  defiance  in  his  misery ! 
Poor  wretch  !   his  spirit  broken  by  his  chains, 

The  first  brief  calm  he'll  die,  and  so  be  free." 

Meanwhile  the  stage  horses  had  not  been  idle.  Mile  after 
mile  of  moorland  they  had  left  behind  them  ;  and  now,  just  as 


36° 


YO,   HO!    FOR    THE   OPEN  SEA. 


the  sun  was    sinking,  they  drew  up    in    front   of  the   little    house 
whence  they  had  set  out  in  the  morning. 

By  this  time  the  boys  were  well  out  at  sea.     They  had  made 
haste  to  board  "  The  Mavis,"  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the 


MONTAUK    FROM   THE   SEA. 


girls  had  started  on  their  homeward  way.  They  had  sailed  close 
by  the  cliffs,  where,  the  tide  now  being  out,  the  surf  was  much 
less  than  it  had  been.  Then  they  had  steered  out  into  the  open 
ocean,  and  the  land  was  now  nearly  fading  from  view. 


• 
FOGIES,    WHITE-FISH,   MENHADEN,   BONY-FISH,  36* 

And  yet  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  were  a  little  disap 
pointed.  They  had  rather  expected  some  adventure,  or  some 
strange  sensation  ;  and  all  had  been  as  tame  and  matter-of-fact 
as  could  be.  And  so  they  were  standing  around  in  a  rather 
discontented  state  of  mind. 

"  Fish !  fish ! "  cried  Jack,  who  was  looking  over  the  side. 
"  See,  there  are  thousands  !  " 

"  About  a  million  in  that  school,"  said  Thomas  John,  survey 
ing  them  critically. 

And,  indeed,  when  the  boys  looked  carefully,  they  could  see 
that  Thomas  John's  estimate  was  a  moderate  one.  Several  acres 
of  water  were  in  a  boiling  state  from  the  quick  swish  of  the 
fishes'  tails.  They  lay  as  closely  together,  Ned  said,  as  sardines 
in  a  box. 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Mossbunkers,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  pogies,  white-fish,  men 
haden,  bony-fish,  fat-backs,  alewives,  old-wife  chebogs,  hardheads, 
greentails.  There,  you  can  take  your  choice  of  names.  The 
same  fish  is  called  all  those  different  ways  on  different  parts  of 
the  coast." 

"  Are  they  good  for  any  thing  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Some  folks  say,"  answered  Thomas  John,  "  that  they  are 
brought  into  the  world  to  be  eaten.  They  have  no  means  of 
defence,  and  so  can't  help  themselves.  When  we  make  a  haul 
from  shore,  we  often  bring  in  several  shark  with  them,  and  these 
have  each  half  a  bushel  of  bunkers  in  their  stomachs.  Then 
these  bony  whales  that  you  see  hereabouts  often,  —  I  am  told 
that  they  can  take  down  as  many  as  would  fill  a  hogshead,  at  a 


362  FAT-BACKS,   ALE  WIVES,   HARDHEADS,   GREENTAILS. 

gulp.  Porpoises  go  for  them  too,  and  dog-fish.  But  the  worst 
enemy  they  have  are  blue-fish.  Blue-fish  are  regular  pirates, 
sea-rovers,  who  kill  for  the  fun  of  it.  Why,  they  will  go  through 
a  school  of  menhaden,  and  leave  a  streak  of  blood  behind  them. 
For  every  one  they  eat,  they  kill  a  hundred." 

"  When  you  haul  from  shore,  what  do  you  do  with  them  ? " 
asked  Jack. 

"  Sell  them  for  manure,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  We  can't 
catch  enough  to  make  it  pay  to  make  oil.  There  are  no  end 
of  steamers,  though,  in  the  fishing  business,  who  carry  all  they 
catch  to  the  oil-factories." 

"Have  you  any  idea  how  many  are  taken  in  this  way?" 
asked  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  I  have  heard  that  it  was  calculated  somewhere  about  seven 
hundred  millions  a  year,"  said  Thomas  John. 

"  Why,  I  should  think  they  would  begin  to  grow  scarce," 
said  Charlie. 

"  It  seems  A  good  many,"  said  Thomas  John  ;  "  but  the  fish- 
commissioner  at  Washington  has  made  an  estimate  of  how  many 
are  eaten  by  other  fishes.  I  s'pose  it's  guess-work,  mainly  ;  but 
still  they  get  a  good  many  statistics  in  Washington  to  go  on. 
It's  three  thousand  millions  of  millions." 

"  If  the  fish  can  hold  their  own  against  such  destruction  as 
that,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  they  are  not  likely  to  be  lessened 
much  by  the  number  taken  by  man." 

"  I  suppose  the  steamers  take  them  with  seines,"  said  Ned. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Tom.  "  Haven't  you  ever  seen  them  ?  They 
lie  off  the  beach  at  home,  sometimes,  by  dozens.  I  have  often 


THE  FISH  ARE  SURROUNDED. 


made  out  all  their  operations  with  a  glass.  They  have  a  greal 
seine,  which  is  kept  half  in  one  boat,  and  half  in  another, 
These  boats  row  away  from  one  another,  around  the  fish  in  £ 
circle,  throwing  out  the  net  as  they  go,  until  they  meet.  Ther 


A  MEETING  BY  NIGHT. 


the  ends  are  fastened  together.  The  fish  now  cannot  escap; 
except  at  the  bottom,  and  they  have  a  way  of  stopping  that 
All  along  the  bottom  of  the  net  are  sewed  rings,  and  througl 


THE  DAY  COMES   TO  AN  END. 


these  a  rope  runs.  The  men  haul  for  dear  life  on  this  rope 
until  the  bottom  is  drawn  tight  together,  and  the  fish  are  in  a 
bag.  Then  the  steamer  comes  alongside,  and  they  let  down  a 
big  iron  caldron  into  the  flopping  mass  ;  and  aboard  they  go, 
a  thousand  at  a  time." 

"  Aren't  they  good  to  eat  at  all  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  Well,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  I  understand  that  they  are  put 
up  like  sardines,  and  that  there  is  quite  a  little  business  in 
shipping  them  salted  to  the  West  Indies  ;  but,  after  all,  it  doesn't 
amount  to  much.  A  good  many,  too,  are  sold  as  bait  to  the 
fishing-fleet  on  the  banks." 

The  school  was  soon  passed,  and  forgotten  in  the  excitement 
of  supper,  which  was  served  in  "  The  Mavis's  "  little  cabin. 
Nothing  of  especial  interest  happened  during  the  evening,  except 
that  a  large  ship  passed  them,  within  easy  hail.  Her  stern,  as 
she  went  by,  showed  five  bright  cabin-lights,  and  made  their 
own  tiny  quarters  look  even  smaller  than  ever.  Small  as  they 
were,  though,  five  tired  and  sleepy  boys  found  them  very  com 
fortable,  as  each  stretched  himself  out  in  his  bunk,  and  pulled 
his  blanket  up  over  him.  They  were  still  out  of  sight  of  land, 
but  now  were  headed  homeward  ;  and  Capt.  Jackson  assured  them, 
that,  when  they  awoke  the  next  morning,  they  should  find  them 
selves  off  Fort  Pond  Bay. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


THE  sun  was  only  a 
short  distance  above  the 
horizon  the  next  morn 
ing,  when  from  the  cabin 
might  have  been  seen 
emerging  two  scantily- 
robed  figures.  True  to 
his  promise,  Capt.  Jack 
son  had  brought  "  The 
Mavis "  around  to  her 
former  anchorage.  She 
now  lay  idly,  like  a  de 
serted  ship,  save  for  the 
one  man,  who,  huddled 
up  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  hatch,  was  seeking  solace  in  a 
short  black  pipe.  Her  boat  lay  alongside,  bumping  against  her, 
as  the  little  waves  lifted  it  up  and  down. 

"  I  say,"  said  Will,  drawing  about  him  a  rug,  and  thereby 
disclosing  a  bare  and  shivering  leg,  "  this  begins  to  look  less 
amusing  than  it  did  down  below.  The  water  must  be  awfully 
cold.  What  do  you  say  to  giving  it  up  ?  " 

367 


368  TOM   TAKES  A   HEADER. 

"  Nonsense ! "  said  the  other  scantily-clad  figure,  which  was 
Tom's,  "  it's  always  warmer  than  the  air.  Come  on  !  " 

The  man  who  was  on  duty,  hearing  their  voices,  came 
forward. 

"  Don't  you  think  the  water  is  warm  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Well,   I  expect  it's  some  tepid,"  said  the  man. 

"There,"  said  Tom,  "I  told  you  so!  Come  on:  I'll  give 
you  a  lead  ;  "  and,  dropping  his  rug,  he  leaned  forward,  and 
took  a  header.  In  a  moment  more  he  was  scrambling  up  into 
the  small  boat. 

"  Don't  miss  it  on  any  account,"  he  called  to  Will.  "  It's 
wonderful !  "  But  the  moment  that  Will,  too,  took  a  header, 
and  disappeared,  he  scrambled  up  on  to  the  deck  with  the  greatest 
speed.  And  it  was  well  that  he  did  so,  for  the  next  instant  a 
clinched  fist  came  up  from  the  waves,  and  was  shaken  vigor 
ously  at  him,  while  its  owner  lost  no  time  in  scrambling  on 
deck. 

"  You  wretch  !  "  cried  Will,  as  he  wildly  rushed  toward  the 
cabin,  near  which  Tom  was  standing,  grin  on  face,  and  towel 
in  hand.  "  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  that  it  was  like  ice  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  want  to  spoil  your  fun,"  said  Tom  ;  and  he  attempted 
to  elude  Will's  grasp.  He  succeeded  ;  but  his  feet  slipped  out 
from  beneath  him,  and  he  disappeared  down  the  companion-way, 
and  arrived  in  the  cabin  in  a  sitting  position,  with  a  loud  crash. 

His  noisy  entrance  awoke  the  boys  and  Mr.   Longwood. 

"  I  remember,"  said  that  gentleman,  after  he  had  heard  of 
Tom  and  Will's  performance,  "  that  once,  when  I  was  crossing 
the  ocean,  I  went  to  take  my  morning  bath.  The  steward  had 


TEN  THOUSAND  NEEDLES.  369 

it  all  drawn  for  me ;  and,  expecting  my  usual  delightful  experi 
ence,  I  plunged  in.  But  it  seemed  as  if  ten  thousand  needles 
were  sticking  into  me,  and  I  sprang  out  like  a  flash.  As  I 
raised  my  eyes  to  the  porthole,  I  saw,  hardly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away,  a  gigantic  iceberg.  I  usec\,  after  that,  to  look  out 
of  the  porthole  first." 

Breakfast  seemed  particularly  good  that  morning.  Possibly  it 
may  have  been  that  the  cook  was  an  adept  in  his  art ;  possibly 
it  may  have  been  that  the  sea-air  had  given  them  great  appe 
tites.  However  that  may  be,  they  lingered  so  long  over  it,  that, 
before  they  had  left  the  table,  Thomas  John  announced  that  the 
cattle-keeper's  boat,  with  the  ladies  on  board,  was  in  sight,  com 
ing  up  the  pond. 

And  before  long  the  whole  party  were  together  again,  and 
"  The  Mavis,"  with  all  sails  set,  was  flying  along  toward  New 
London. 

"  Come,  Jack,"  said  Rose,  after  a  time,  when  they  had  all 
settled  comfortably  down  on  a  mass  of  rugs  that  had  been  spread 
on  the  deck,  "  you  are  a  scholar ;  tell  us  something  of  the 
country  to  which  we  are  going." 

"  The  climate  is  temperate,"  said  Jack,  quoting  glibly  from  an 
imaginary  geography ;  "  the  products  are  hay,  straw,  oats,  and 
wooden  nutmegs.  The  government  is  vested  in  a  governor, 
lieutenant-governor,  senate,  and  house  of  representatives." 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  well  up  in  your  facts,  Master  Jack," 
said  Mr.  Longwood :  "  tell  us  if  there  were  ever  two  persons 
governors  of  Connecticut  at  the  same  time." 

"  Let  me  think,"  said  Jack  meditatively,  assuming  a  grave  air. 


370  NIEGOR  MAN  TO  GOVERNOR  SKENE. 

"  I    don't   recall   the   circumstance,    nor   can    I    recall    having    met 
with  the  subject  in  my  large  and  varied  course  of  reading." 

"  Well,"  laughed  Mr.  Longwood,  "  I  fear  that  your  reading 
must  have  been  misdirected.  In  the  good  old  times,  as  some 
people  call  them,  befor^  the  Revolution,  when  Connecticut  was 
a  slave-holding  State,  it  was  the  custom  for  the  negroes  to  elect 
their  governor,  as  well  as  their  masters  ;  and,  though  he  did  not 
have  all  the  perquisites  of  the  white  governor,  he  was  treated 
with  the  greatest  .respect  by  all  his  colored  brethren.  The  proc 
lamation  that  one  of  these  negro  governors  put  forth  created 
quite  an  excitement  on  one  occasion.  It  was  this  :  — 

HARTFORD,  nth  May,  1776. 

I  Governor  Cuff  of  the  Niegro's  in  the  province  of  Connecticut,  do  Resign 
my  Govermentshipe,  to  John  Anderson  Niegor  Man  to  Governor  Skene. 

And  I  hope  that  you  will  obeye  him  as  you  have  Done  me  for  this  ten 
year's  past,  when  Colonel  Willis'  Niegor  Dayed  I  was  the  next.  But  being  weak 
and  unfit  for  that  office  do  Resine  the  said  Governmentshipe  to  John  Anderson. 

I :  John  Anderson  having  the  Honour  to  be  appointed  Governor  over  you  I 
will  do  my  utmost  endevere  to  serve  you  in  Every  Respect,  and  I  hope  you  will 
obey  me  accordingly. 

JOHN   ANDERSON   Governor 

over  the  Niegors  in   Connecticut. 
Witnesses  present, 

THE  LATE  GOVERNOR  CUFF,  Hartford, 

QUACKOW, 

FETTER  WADSWORTH, 

TITOWS, 

POMP  WILLIS, 

JOHN  JONES, 

FRADAY. 

"  Now,    Gov.    Skene,   to   whom   John    Anderson   was   '  Niegor 


GOVERNOR  ANDERSON  OFFERS  TO   TREAT.  37 1 

Man,'  was  a  great  Tory.  He  was  in  Hartford  on  his  parole, 
for  it  was  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  it  was  at 
once  suspected  that  he  had  concocted  a  plot  by  which  all  the 
slaves  should  kill  their  masters.  So  he  was  summoned  before 
the  officials,  and  great  examinations  were  held." 

"  And  did  they  find  out  any  thing  ? "  asked  Rose. 

"  If  I  remember  rightly,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  was  dis 
covered  that  Gov.  Cuff  abdicated  on  Gov.  Anderson's  offering  to 
treat  to  the  amount  of  twenty  dollars.  Gov.  Anderson  lamented 
loudly  that  the  treating  had  cost  him  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
considered  himself  an  injured  man." 

"  Connecticut,"  said  Jack,  "  was  where  Gen.  Putnam  came 
from.  He  was  a  fine  fellow.  When  he  was  a  young  man,  'there 
was  a  wolf  "  — 

At  this  point,  however,  our  young  friend  stopped  short,  for  a 
smile  was  on  every  countenance. 

"  We  think  we  have  all  heard  that  story,"  said  Charlie  apolo 
getically,  and  Jack  subsided. 

"  There  is  another  story  about  Putnam,  though,"  said  Toni, 
"  that  I  don't  believe  you  have  heard.  He  was  marching,  at  one 
time,  under  Gen.  Amherst,  to  attack  the  French  in  Canada. 
The  troops,  late  on  an  afternoon,  reached  a  lake,  which  it  was 
necessary  they  should  cross.  But  there,  sailing  up  and  down, 
was  an  armed  French  vessel,  ready  to  attack  them  the  moment 
they  attempted  it. 

"  Putnam  went  to  Gen.  Amherst.  '  We  must  capture  that 
vessel,'  said  he. 

"  Gen.  Amherst  was  of  the  same  mind ;  but  how  to  do  it 
was  the  question. 


372  PUTNAM  MAKES  A    CAPTURE. 

"  '  Give  me,'  said  Putnam,  '  half  a  dozen  picked  men,  a  mallet, 
and  some  wedges,  and  I'll  take  her.' 

"  Amherst  didn't  quite  see  how  he  was  to  capture  a  ship 
with  a  mallet  and  wedges  ;  but  he  told  him  that  he  should  have 
them.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  Putnam  and  his  men  stole 
softly  out  in  a  small  boat,  and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness, 
drove  the  wedges  in  back  of  the  vessel's  rudder,  so  that  it  could 
not  move.  As  soon  as  daylight  came,  the  troops  began  to  get 
on  the  rafts  and  bateau  that  were  to  take  them  across,  and 
the  Frenchman  hoisted  his  sail  to  attack  them.  But,  somehow, 
his  craft  wouldn't  behave.  She  just  blew  along  over  the  water; 
and,  before  he  knew  it,  he  was  ashore,  and  a  party  of  the  enemy 
were  aboard  and  in  possession." 

"  I  say,"  called  out  Jack  presently,  returning  from  a  tour  into 
the  bows,  "  I  can  see  the  light-house  off  New  London  harbor." 

"  New  London  was  a  stirring  town  during  the  Revolution," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Before  the  war  broke  out  she  had  a -large 
shipping -trade  with  the  West  Indies  and  Mediterranean  ports. 
But  the  British  cruisers  soon  put  an  end  to  that.  And  so  she 
became  the  headquarters  of  privateersmen.  You  remember  how 
Capt.  Dayton  brought  his  prizes  there.  Well,  he  was  only  one 
of  hundreds.  Woe  to  the  English  transport  or  merchant-vessel 
that  fell  behind  her  convoy  as  she  entered  the  Sound !  A 
low,  swift-sailing  craft  suddenly  crept  out  from  shore,  and,  before 
her  escort  could  help,  compelled  her,  by  the  logic  of  cold  lead, 
to  haul  down  her  flag,  and  surrender.  At  times  the  warehouses 
of  New  London  were  crammed  with  English  goods,  taken  in  this 
way. 


THEIR  HEARTS  IN  THEIR  MOUTHS. 


373 


"  But  the  New-London  people  did  not  have  it  all  their  own 
way.  Half  of  the  time  they  lived  with  their  hearts  in  their 
mouths  ;  for  the  harbor  defences  were  practically  worthless,  and 
there  was  nothing  to 
have  prevented  a  British 
fleet  anchoring  before 
the  town,  and  blowing 
it  to  pieces.  And  many 
a  tfme  the  good  citizens 
thought  the  hour  had 
come,  when  they  saw 
frigate  after  frigate  com 
ing  to  anchor,  and  furl 
ing  their  sails  off  the 
harbor  mouth.  Many  a 
time  the  alarm-guns  to 
rouse  the  country  about 
sounded,  but  the  enemy 
sheered  off,  and  went 
elsewhere.  But  at  last, 
when  they  had  grown 
bold,  and  least  expected 
it,  the  blow  fell.  The 
British  came,  and  burned 
the  town." 

"  I    remember    reading    about    it,    not    long    ago,"    said   Will. 
"  It  was  Arnold  the  traitor  who  led  the  British,  was  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.   Longwood.     "  Go  on,  and  tell  the  story." 


FURLING   THEIR   SAILS. 


374  THE    TRAITOR  SETS  SAIL. 

11  Well,"  said  Will,  "  if  I  remember  rightly,  Arnold  made  the 
point  of  assemblage  for  his  vessels  somewhere  on  the  Long- 
Island  shore,  perhaps  near  where  we  started  from  in  the 
morning. 

"  As  soon  as  it  was  dusk  they  set  sail,  intending  to  reach 
New  London,  and  make  the  attack  in  the  night,  before  the 
militia  could  be  summoned  to  the  aid  of  the  town.  But  just  as 
they  reached  the  harbor  mouth,  a  little  after  midnight,  the  wind 
hauled,  and  they  could  not  enter,  but  had  to  beat  off  and  on, 
waiting  for  daylight. 

"  With  the  first  dawn  they  were  seen ;  and  the  alarm-guns 
from  the  forts  began  to  echo  over  the  country-side,  rousing  the 
militia  to  their  aid." 

"  The  signal  for  danger,"  interrupted  Mr.  Longwood,  "  was 
two  guns.  Three  meant  the  arrival  of  a  prize,  or  good  news. 
The  enemy  had  learned  this  ;  and,  whenever  the  forts  fired  two 
guns,  one  of  their  ships  added  a  third,  so  as  to  confound  the 
signals." 

"  It  was  ten  o'clock  before  the  British  made  a  landing,"  went 
on  Will  ;  "  and  by  that  time  the  militia  had  begun  to  come  in. 
But  a  parcel  of  half-disciplined  farmers  could  do  nothing  against 
well-drilled  regulars.  They  fired  from  behind  fences,  and  every 
now  and  then  a  rebel  bullet  reached  its  mark,  and  brought  down 
a  man  ;  but  the  militia  were  practically  helpless,  and  the  English, 
with  the  traitor  at  their  head,  marched  forward,  and  took  the 
town." 

"  Arnold  was  doubly  a  traitor  on  this  expedition,"  said  Mrs. 
Longwood  ;  "for  he  was  born  only  a  few  miles  from  New  Lon- 


A   SCENE   OF  TERROR. 


375 


don,  and  no  doubt  had 
known  the  town  for 
years,  so  that  it  was 
his  own  native  place  he 
was  destroying." 

"  You  can  imagine 
the  excitement,"  Will 
continued,  "  when  it  was 
known  that  the  British 
were  really  at  hand. 
Wagons  were  hastily 
loading;  women  and 
children  half  wild  with 
terror  rushed  here  and 
there,  and  then  made 
their  way  to  the  open 
country,  whence  they 
watched  the  flames  that 
made  them  homeless. 

"  The  people  had 
hoped  that  the  town 
might  escape ;  but  this 
was  not  Arnold's  inten 
tion.  The  warehouses, 
shops,  dwellings,  were 
soon  in  a  blaze,  while 
he  watched  it  all  from  the  steeple  of  the  meeting-house.  Among 
the  townspeople  were  many  old  acquaintances.  He  even  took 


A    REBEL    BULLET. 


A   FORTUNATE   CHANGE   OF   WIND. 


dinner  with  one  of  them  ;  but  before  he  rose  from  the  table  the 
house  had  been  fired,  and  he  left  it  wrapped  in  flames." 

"  What  an  old  scamp  he  must  have  been  !  "  said  two  or  three  ; 
and  Ned  added,  "  After  all,  the  British  must  have  lost  more 
men  than  the  patriots,  for  they  had  the  advantage  of  firing  only 
from  cover,  and  did  not  once  meet  them  in  the  open." 

"  Ay,  but,"  said  Will,  "  there  was  some  of  the  bloodiest  fight 
ing  in  the  whole  war  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor.  You  see, 
there  were  a  lot  of  sail,  great  and  small,  in  port,  and  Arnold 
meant  to  make  a  clean  sweep  of  them  all.  There  was,  among 
others,  a  large  ship,  '  The  Hannah,'  which  had  been  brought  in 
as  a  prize,  and  was  unloading.  These  vessels  would  naturally 
all  go  up  the  river,  where  the  British  could  not  follow,  and 
escape.  But  the  wind  was  dead  against  them,  so  that  they  could 
not.  Arnold  had  foreseen  all  this,  and  so  he  had  landed  men 
on  each  side  of  the  harbor  mouth,  and,  while  one  party  was 
burning  the  town,  the  other  was  marching  to  get  above  the 
shipping.  They  almost  made  it  out  ;  but,  just  at  the  right  mo 
ment,  with  the  change  of  the  tide,  the  wind  changed,  and  all 
that  lay  in  the  stream  hoisted  sail,  and  fled  in  safety. 

"  Now,  as  this  detachment  of  the  British  marched  along,  they 
came  to  Fort  Griswold.  In  it  were  only  a  hundred  and  fifty 
militia  ;  but  they  refused  to  surrender  when  challenged,  though 
the  enemy  outnumbered  them  ten  to  one.  Then  began  a  fight 
that  was  a  fight  in  earnest.  The  militia,  with  grape-shot,  swept 
down  whole  ranks  of  the  enemy,  killing  their  two  commanding 
officers  at  the  first  fire.  But  the  odds  were  too  unequal.  The 
British  poured  over  the  works,  and  the  fort  was  theirs.  They 


ARNOLD   VIEWING   THE   DESTRUCTION   OF   THE   TOWN. 


FALL  BACK   TO   THE  SHIPS.  379 

must  have  been  fiends,  and  they  were  led  by  a  fiend  ;  for,  when 
the  American  colonel  surrendered  his  sword,  the  wretch  seized  it, 
and  plunged  it  into  his  heart.  The  soldiers,  angered  at  the 
unexpected  resistance  they  had  met,  acted  like  so  many  wild 
beasts,  and,  falling  upon  the  Americans  who  had  laid  down  their 
arms,  cut  them  down  in  cold  blood,  firing  upon  them  in  platoons, 
and  despatching  the  wounded  with  their  bayonets.  It  could 
never  be  found  out  who  was  the  officer  who  allowed  it  all." 

"  The  whole  conflict  at  Fort  Griswold  was  totally  unnecessary," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  The  British  did  not  intend  to  hold  New 
London ;  and  the  fort,  after  they  had  possession  of  the  town, 
was  of  no  earthly  use.  Two  or  three  hundred  men  were  killed 
and  wounded  through  sheer  stupidity.  They  had  hardly  gained 
possession  of  the  fort,  too,  before  they  began  to  see  that,  if 
they  wished  to  get  away  in  safety,  they  must  make  all  speed. 
For  the  news  of  their  landing  had  spread,  and  all  over  the 
country  the  militia  were  coming  in  by  the  hundreds.  Bullets 
from  unseen  rifles  began  to  fly  among  the  red-coats,  and  make 
them  long  to  be  back  on  their  ships.  So  they  made  haste  to 
gather  about  the  shore. 

"  Before  they  left,  though,  they  determined  to  blow  up  what 
was  left  of  the  fort.  They  had  recovered  from  their  madness 
by  this  time,  and  prepared  to  remove  the  wounded  first,  though 
after  a  barbarous  fashion.  Getting  an  ammunition-wagon,  they 
piled  them  in  on  top  of  one  another,  regardless  of  their  groans. 
Then  some  twenty  soldiers  dragged  the  wagon  along  toward 
the  crest  of  the  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  a  house  in 
which  they  could  be  left.  But  the  hill  was  steep,  and  the 


38°  A   HARDY  MILITIAMAN. 

wagon  heavy ;  the  men  could  not  hold  it  back.  Leaping  aside, 
they  let  it  go.  Down  it  went,  faster  and  faster,  bumping  over 
rocks  and  stones,  until  at  the  foot,  when,  under  full  headway,  it 
crashed  against  an  apple-tree,  and  came  to  a  sudden  halt.  The 
screams  and  cries  of  the  wounded  men  were  heard  across  the 
harbor,  and  several  died  outright  from  the  shock. 

"  By  this  time  it  was  sunset,  and  the  British  embarked,  and 
dropped  down  the  harbor,  watching  to  see  the  fort  fly  into  the 
air  ;  for  they  had  laid  a  train  to  the  magazine,  and  had  fired  it. 
But,  though  they  looked  and  looked,  the  fort  never  moved,  much 
to  their  disgust  and  astonishment.  Arnold,  in  his  report,  was 
very  severe  on  the  artillery-officer  whose  work  failed ;  but  it 
was  not  the  officer's  fault.  The  train  was  burning  fast,  when  a 
hardy  militiaman  made  his  way  in,  and,  seeing  the  danger,  rushed 
to  the  pump,  and,  filling  an  old  cartridge-box  with  water,  put 
out  the  fire,  and  saved  the  fort." 

Just  at  this  time  Jack,  who  had  not  been  paying  much 
attention  to  Mr.  Longwood's  and  Will's  story,  came  aft,  and,  seat 
ing  himself,  remarked  abruptly,  "  I  say,  here's  larks !  Dinner's 
been  ready  for  ten  minutes,  and  cookie's  in  a  stew  !  " 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  they  all. 

"  The  cabin  won't  begin  to  hold  us ;  and  he  hasn't  plates 
and  things  enough  to  go  around  in  such  a  crowd." 

"  Why  should  we  go  into  the  cabin  ?  "  said  the  girls.  "  Let's 
call  it  a  picnic,  and  have  dinner  on  deck ;  and  then  it  will  be  a 
good  joke,  not  having  dishes  enough." 

So  they  all  went  forward,  much  to  the  cook's  embarrassment. 
His  black  face  was  screwed  up  into  a  comical  knot  in  his  per- 


A   HASTY  PLATE   OF  SOUP.  383 

plexity.  "  'Pears  like  I  don't  see  how  ye're  to  eat  dis  yer  soup, 
nohow,"  he  said. 

The  soup  smelled  very  nicely,  and  boys  and  girls  were  very 
hungry.  "  How  many  soup-plates  have  you  ? "  asked  Rose. 

Jack  hastened  to  explain  that  there  were  no  soup-plates  at 
all,  but  that  there  were  six  bowls. 

"  Tumblers  for  the  rest  of  us,"  cried  Ned,  seized  by  a  sudden 
inspiration. 

So,  this  difficulty  being  over,  the  soup  was  soon  disposed  of. 
After  that  the  other  courses  were  more  easily  managed ;  for 
"  The  Mavis's "  stock  of  plates  and  other  articles,  though  small, 
was  yet  enough  to  go  around,  with  a  little  ingenious  assistance. 
The  cook  had  evidently  a  pretty  thorough  idea  of  what  hungry 
boys  and  girls  could  do ;  for  one  good  thing  appeared  after 
another,  until,  at  last,  peaches  and  raisins  ended  the  meal. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ff^rjL\      09     EANTIME    "The   Mavis"   had   been 
^  \         ^*^%/  X/r  making    good    progress.  *   She    had 

v  \      ^/^rTELy  ,if,  s    /  /  '  i 

passed  the  light-house  and  the  great 
hotel   buildings,  and    had   glided    up 
the    harbor;    and,   just    as    Jack   was 
surreptitiously  sweeping  the    last   of 
the     raisins     into     his     pocket,    she 
rounded    the    point    on    which    Fort 
Trumbull    stands,    and    dropped   her 
anchor  before  the  town. 
A    small    boat    shot   out   at   once   from    one  of  the  piers,  and 
came  alongside  ;    and  a  young  man  in  it  touched  his    hat  to    Mr. 
Longwood,  and  scrambled  up  the  schooner's  side. 

"  You  are  very  prompt,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  have  only  just 
arrived." 

Mr.  Longwood  led  the  way  to  the  cabin,  and  the  young  man 
followed.  •  Presently  he  came  out  again,  and  said,  "  I  thought 
that  only  my  signature  was  wanted ;  but  I  find  that  there  is 
work  here  that  will  take  me  two  or  three  hours.  You  had  all 
better  go  ashore,  and  enjoy  yourselves." 

So,  after  a  brief  consultation,  it  was  decided  that  they  should 
384 


THEY  MAKE  A   LANDING. 


385 


land  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  the  fight  that  we  have  just 
heard  of  took  place,  and  visit  the  remains  of  the  old  fort.  It 
was  necessary  that  the  boat  should  make  two  trips  to  take  them 
all :  so  Ned,  Tom,  and  Will,  with  three  of  the  girls,  went  first. 
While  the  boat  went  back  for  the  rest,  they  began  to  climb,  and 


LOADING  AND   UNLOADING. 


presently  reached  the  top  of  the  hill.  Somewhat  out  of  breath,  they 
waited  for  the  others  to  come,  before  they  should  begin  their  ex 
plorations.  They  had  with  them  a  glass,  and  through  it  they  could 
see  the  piers  of  the  town  plainly,  with  schooners  lying  along 
side,  taking  in  and  discharging  cargo.  Presently  they  cast  their 
restless  eyes  about  them.  Not  far  away,  on  an  old  stone,  was 


386  THE  HISTORY  OF  MOSES. 

seated  a  man  with  his  back  toward  them,  smoking  a  pipe.  His 
shabby  coat  showed  that  his  circumstances  were  not  of  the  best. 

"  Let's  go  and  talk  to  him,"  said  Tom. 

So  he  and  Will  strolled  over.  As  they  came  near,  the  man 
removed  his  pipe,  not  noticing  their  approach,  and  began  to 
sing  a  song  in  a  low  tone.  The  boys  stopped  to  listen. 

Whin  Pharaoh's  daughther  wint  down  to  the  wather, 

Sure  there  was  young  Moses  a-shwimmin'  around 
In  his  arruk  all  so  handy,  wid  a  shtick  of  swate  candy, 

To  kape  him  from  cryin'  ontil  he  was  found. 

Says  she  to  a  maithen,  says  she,  "  Bring  yon  haythen, 

Your  trotters  be  shakin',  ye  lazy  spalpeen ; 
If  the  wathers  wance  wet  him,  or  the  crockodiles  get  him, 

It's  no  crockodile  tears  ye'll  be  sheddin',  I  ween." 

So,  whin  from  his  shwimmin'  he  was  brought  to  the  wimmin, 
Faith,  it  shows  how  the  blarney's  a  famale's  chafe  joy, 

A  nate  bow  he  was  makin',  as  sure  as  I'm  spakin'; 
"  Begorra !  "  says  she,  "  he's  the  broth  of  a  boy." 

"  He  seems  to  have  attended  Sunday  school  in  his  youth," 
said  Will,  as  the  singer  broke  off  abruptly,  to  put  his  pipe  back 
into  his  mouth. 

The  man  heard  his  voice,  and  turned  around.  "  Long  life  to 
your  honors,"  he  said,  rising. 

"  That's  quite  a  nice  song  you  were  singing,"  said  Will. 
"  Where  did  you  learn  it  ?  " 

"  It  was    injuced    by   me    own    circumsthances,"  said   the   man. 


THE  REST  OF  THE  PARTY  ARRIVE.  387 

41 1  was  lookin'  at  that  bit  of  wather  just  fornint  yez,  and  wishin' 
Moses  had  left  his  boat  whin  he  got  through  wid  it ;  for  how  I 
am  to  get  across,  I  doan  know,  be  raison  that  I  have  niver  so 
much  as  a  pinny,  and  the  fare  is  five  cints  on  the  boat.  On- 
less,"  he  added,  with  a  grin,  "  ye  may  be  a  brother  of  Pharaoh's 
daughther,  and  inclined  to  hilp  a  poor  man  a  bit,  like  your 
sister  did  wid  Moses." 

Will  laughed,  and  gave  him  a  small  coin  ;  and,  with  another 
"  Long  life  to  your  honors  !  "  he  set  out  briskly  for  the  ferry. 

By  this  time,  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  rest  of  the  party  had 
arrived,  and  together  they  strolled  about  the  hill-top.  There  was 
not  much  to  see,  though,  beside  the  view  :  so,  after  a  little,  they 
sat  themselves  down  on  a  grassy  knoll,  and  two  or  three  began 
to  urge  Mrs.  Longwood  to  tell  them  more  about  Arnold  and  his 
crime. 

"It  is  not  a  pleasant  subject,"  said  that  lady ;  "  but  it  is  a 
good  thing  for  every  boy  and  girl  to  know  the  story  of  that 
traitor,  and  how  his  acts  recoiled  on  his  own  head,  and  left  him 
despised  alike  by  friends  and  foes. 

"  Arnold  was  born  some  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  from  where 
we  now  are,  on  the  very  river  Thames  that  we  see  winding  be 
neath  us.  He  grew  up  to  be  a  man  among  the  stirring  scenes 
that  preceded  the  Revolution,  in  the  days  of  the  Stamp  Act, 
and  other  attempts  at  oppression  by  the  mother  country.  He 
was  a  thorough  patriot.  When  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lex 
ington  came,  he  was  in  business  in  New  Haven.  He  summoned 
the  guards  of  which  he  was  captain,  and  called  for  volunteers  to 
march  with  him  to  Cambridge.  Sixty  men  stepped  forward.  He 


388  PRODUCE   THE  KEYS. 


demanded  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  selectmen.  But  these 
worthies  were  not  accustomed  to  such  rapidity  of  action :  they 
said  that  he  would  do  better  to  wait  a  little,  for  regular  orders. 
Arnold  marched  his  men  to  the  house  where  they  were  assem 
bled,  and  sent  in  word,  that,  if  the  keys  of  the  magazine  were 
not  produced  in  five  minutes,  his  men  should  break  in  the 
doors.  The  keys  were  produced ;  and  the  company,  well  armed 
and  equipped,  set  out  at  once." 

"  What  an  energetic  fellow  he  must  have  been !  "  said  Charlie, 

"  He  was,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  No  sooner  had 
he  and  his  men  arrived  in  camp  than  he  proposed  to  the  authori 
ties  a  plan  for  seizing  Fort  Ticonderoga." 

"  Why,  that  is  where  the  wagoner  went,"  said  Carrie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood  ;  "  but  the  wagoner  was  two  or 
three  years  later.  Well,  the  authorities  fancied  Arnold's  plan ; 
and  they  made  him  a  colonel,  with  power  to  recruit  four  hun 
dred  men.  So  he  set  out  to  the  western  part  of  Massachusetts 
to  raise  his  men  ;  but,  when  he  reached  there,  he  found  that  a 
party  of  Green-Mountain  Boys  under  Ethan  Allen  had  already 
started  for  the  same  purpose.  He  went  after  them,  and,  showing 
his  commission,  claimed  the  command.  But  the  Vermonters  did 
not  know  him,  and  would  not  obey  him.  They  would  fight  under 
their  own  leader,  or  go  home.  Arnold,  however,  went  on  with 
them  ;  and  he  and  Ethan  Allen  were  side  by  side  at  the  head 
of  the  men,  when,  in  the  gray  morning,  the  troops  seized  the 
fort,  and,  waking  up  the  commander  from  his  sleep,  demanded 
his  surrender  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Conti 
nental  Congress. 


THE  MARCH  ON  CANADA.  391 


"  Arnold's  reputation  was  now  established  as  a  bold  and 
daring  man,  and  one  who  could  rouse  his  followers  to  enthusi 
asm.  And  so  he  was  chosen  to  lead  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
expeditions  of  the  whole  war.  Its  plan  was  this.  Here,"  said 
Mrs.  Longwood,  drawing  with  her  parasol  an  imaginary  map  on 
the  grass,  "  is  Montreal,  and  here  Quebec,  which  were  occupied 
by  the  British.  Now,  an  American  army  was  on  its  way  to 
Canada,  to  attack  these  cities.  It  was  marching  northward  by 
way  of  the  lakes,"  and  she  pointed  out  their  course.  "  It  was 
proposed  that  Arnold  should  lead  a  force  to  join  them.  His 
route  was  to  be  through  Maine.  No  one  but  Indians  had  ever 
passed  through  these  northern  wilds ;  but  it  was  thought  that  his 
army  might  ascend  the  Kennebec  River  in  scows,  as  far  as  pos 
sible,  then  strike  across  country  to  the  head  waters  of  the 
Chaudiere,  down  which  they  could  float  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

"  Arnold's  men  were  bold  and  hardy.  Three  companies  were 
from  Western  Virginia,  —  men  who  had  seen  rough  service  on 
the  Indian  frontier,  —  the  rest  were  rugged  farmers  used  to  all 
manner  of  toil  and  exposure.  Full  of  determination  they  set 
out,  and  were  soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  forest." 

"  It  must  have  been  glorious  fun,  though,  making  their  way 
up  the  rivers,  and  camping  in  the  Maine  woods !  "  said  Tom. 
"  Just  think  of  it,  fellows  :  salmon,  and  trout,  and  deer,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing." 

"  These  men  did  not  go  for  a  lark,  as  you  would  call  it," 
said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  They  had  to  pole  great  heavy  bateaux 
against  the  current  all  day,  sometimes  stopping  to  carry  the 
baggage  on  their  backs  around  rapids.  When  night  came,  they 


392 


A   SUDDEN  COLD  BATH. 


were  glad  enough  to  broil  their  salt  pork  over  the  camp-fire, 
and  drop  off"  to  sleep,  without  thinking  of  trout  and  venison. 
A  band  of  pioneers  went  before,  to  explore  the  way,  and  many 
was  the  rough  experience  they  had. 


A    ROUGH    EXPERIENCE. 


"  At  length,  after  days  and  days  of  toil,  the  little  army 
reached  the  head-waters  of  the  Kennebec,  where  the  stream  was 
to  be  left,  and  the  forest  crossed  that  lay  between  them  and  the 
head-waters  of  the  Chaudiere.  And  now  they  were  in  peril 
indeed.  They  were  too  far  along  to  go  back,  and  to  go  forward 


DOG-SOUP  FOR  DINNER.  395 

seemed  almost  certain  death.  Storm  after  storm  came  upon 
them.  In  a  single  night  the  streams  rose  ten  feet,  so  that  they 
were  often  up  to  their  waists  in  the  icy  water.  And,  worst  of  all, 
their  provisions  gave  out.  Many  lay  down  and  died  in  their 
misery.  To  push  on,  and  reach  some  of  the  friendly  French 
villages,  was  their  only  hope.  They  were  reduced  to  such  straits, 
that  they  killed  the  two  dogs  that  were  with  them,  and  made 
them  into  soup ;  they  boiled  their  buckskin  breeches,  and  ate 
them  ;  and  they  gnawed  the  roots  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  they 
dug  out  of  the  ground.  In  all  these  trials  Arnold  shared  as  a 
common  soldier,  and  was  everywhere  present,  encouraging  and 
sympathizing  with  the  men. 

"  And  at  last  a  remnant,  ragged  and  famishing,  found  them 
selves  within  reach  of  help  from  the  friendly  French  settlers." 

"  Poor  fellows  !  "  said  Lou,  "  they  certainly  deserved  success : 
they  worked  hard  enough  for  it." 

"  They  did  not  achieve  it,  however,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood. 
"  It  was  early  in  September  when  Arnold's  little  army  left  Boston, 
Now  it  was  the  loth  of  November ;  and  his  force,  after  all 
stragglers  had  come  in,  was  only  six  hundred  men,  —  half-clothed. 
They  had  not  lost  their  determination,  though,  but  pressed 
forward  with  all  speed  toward  Quebec.  But  the  British  had 
learned  of  their  coming,  and  recruits  poured  into  the  city  from 
all  about.  They  burned  every  boat  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  for 
twenty  miles,  to  prevent  their  crossing.  And  when,  one  dark 
night,  Arnold,  eluding  a  man-of-war,  landed  his  little  army  in 
Wolfe's  Cove,  and  scaled  the  plains  on  which  the  city  stood, 
there  were  three  men  inside  her  walls,  to  his  one  without." 


396 


"ROW,  BROTHERS,   ROW." 


11  It  looks  to  me,"  said  Jack,  "as  if  he  were  in  rather  a 
tight  place." 

"  Of  course  he  could  not  attack  the  city  with  such  a  force," 
said  Mrs.  Longwood  :  "  so  he  intrenched  himself,  and  waited  for 


CARLETON'S  ESCAPE. 


the  other  American  army  to  join  him.  That  army,  led  by  Gen. 
Montgomery,  had  had  brilliant  success.  It  had  taken  Montreal, 
and  would  have  taken  the  English  commander,  Gen.  Carleton, 


THE  BELLS  CLANG  FORTH  AN  ALARM.  397 

had  he  not  made  his  escape  in  disguise,  in  a  small  boat.  But 
by  reason  of  the  garrisons  it  had  had  to  leave  behind  it,  and 
the  expiration  of  the  time  for  which  the  men  had  enlisted,  it 
had  so  dwindled  that  it  numbered  only  three  hundred  men." 

"  And  so  Arnold  was  not  much  better  for  their  coming,"' 
said  Kate. 

"  No ;  he  was  not,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  The  two 
commanders  held  a  conference.  To  attack  the  city  seemed  mad 
ness,  but  they  were  determined  to  attempt  it.  They  planned  a 
night  assault.  The  snow  was  coming  down  thick  and  fast  when 
the  attack  was  made.  A  hundred  yards  before  his  men  ran 
Arnold,  while  all  the  bells  of  the  city  were  clanging  forth  a  wild 
alarm.  On  a  run  after  him  came  his  men,  holding  their  muskets 
under  their  coat-flaps,  to  keep  the  locks  dry.  At  the  very  first 
onset  Montgomery  was  killed,  and  Arnold  was  struck  by  a  mus 
ket-ball  that  broke  his  leg.  Rising  on  his  other  leg,  he  tried 
to  press  forward,  and  cheered  the  men  as  they  passed  him. 
They  made  a  galh,nt  fight,  but  it  was  in  vain  :  Quebec  was  not 
to  fall." 

"  What  a  shame  it  was,"  exclaimed  the  boys,  "  that  he  should 
fail !  but  it  was  a  desperate  venture  at  the  best.  The  fight 
must  have  given  him  a  great  reputation." 

".Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  Congress  at  once  promoted 
him  to  be  a  brigadier.  The  Americans  were  forced  to  retire 
slowly  from  Canada,  and  the  British  followed  them  up  as  they 
went.  Gen.  Carleton  was  determined  to  get  full  possession  of 
Lake  Champlain,  because  of  its  nearness  to  Ticonderoga.  The 
British  always  had  their  eyes  on  Ticonderoga,  longing  to  gain  it,. 


SKILLED  SEAMEN  AGAINST  LAND-LUBBERS. 

because,  with  it  once  in  their  hands,  they  thought  they  could  easily 
force  their  way  to  Albany,  and  effect  a  junction  with  the  forces 
in  New  York.  So  Carleton  began  to  build  vessels  with  all  speed, 
and  Arnold,  too,  began  to  build  vessels  to  fight  him.  Of  course 
Carleton  had  great  advantages.  He  was  not  far  from  Montreal, 
his  base  of  supplies,  whence  he  could  get  men  and  material, 
and  he  had  the  whole  purse  of  England  to  draw  from,  while 
Arnold  had  only  the  backwoods  about  him.  And  so  it  came 
about,  that,  when  the  two  fleets  met  in  fight,  the  British  had 
more  than  twice  the  weight  of  guns,  and  twice  as  many  ships, 
as  he,  and  had  skilled  seamen  to  navigate  them,  while  he  had 
but  land-lubbers." 

"  I  suspect  this  will  be  as  vigorous  a  scrimmage  as  the  other," 
said  Ned. 

"  You  shall  see,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  When  the  British 
ships,  with  all  their  flags  proudly  flying,  came  sailing  down  to 
attack  the  American,  the  English  captain,  seeing  the  smallness 
of  the  American  fleet,  said  that  he  thought  they  should  have 
little  trouble  ;  but  Gen.  Carleton,  who  was  aboard,  remembered 
the  march  through  the  Maine  woods,  and  thought  differently. 
And  he  was  right.  It  was  half-past  twelve  when  the  two  fleets 
were  within  musket-shot  and  hard  at  work.  Arnold  had  that 
morning  lost  the  ship  on  which  he  was,  '  The  Royal  Savage,' 
and  now  had  taken  his  station  on  '  The  Congress '  galley.  He 
anchored  her  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  fire,  and  there  she  stayed 
until,  at  five  o'clock,  the  British  retired. 

"  Not  only  were  he  and  his  men  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the 
enemy's  ships,  but  the  whole  shore  close  at  hand  blazed  with 


THE  BRITISH  COMMANDER  CAUGHT  NAPPING.  399 

the  rifles  of  the  Indians.  Fortunately,  though,  he  had  foreseen 
this,  and  had  protected  his  sides  so  that  the  bullets  did  little 
harm.  He  was  omnipresent  on  his  ship.  His  men  were  inexpe 
rienced,  and  he  himself  pointed  and  discharged  most  of  the  guns. 
He  knew  no  such  word  as  submission.  His  vessel  was  hulled 
eleven  times.  Seven  shots  had  passed  through  her,  above  the 
water-line,  her  mast  and  rigging  were  cut  to  pieces,  while  around 
him  lay  the  dead  and  wounded  ;  and  yet  he  fought  as  madly  as 
at  first. 

"  That  night  the  British  fleet,  confident  that  another  day 
would  see  the  Americans  in  their  power,  stationed  themselves  in 
the  channel  through  which  they  must  pass  to  escape.  Arnold 
called  a  council.  His  fleet  was  in  a  dreadful  way :  three-fourths 
of  their  ammunition  was  spent.  They  must  escape  if  possible. 
The  night  was  a  hazy  one.  Each  ship  put  out  all  lights  save 
one  at  the  stern,  to  guide  the  vessel  that  followed  her,  and, 
raising  their  sail,  they  stole  noiselessly  away.  And  when  morn 
ing  awoke  the  British  commander,  to  go  on  with  the  struggle  of 
the  day  before,  his  enemy  had  escaped  him." 

"  How  provoked  he  must  have  been  !  "  said  they  all. 

"  He  was  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  He  hoisted  all 
sail,  and  set  out  in  pursuit ;  and  after  a  little  he  came  up  with 
the  hinder  vessels  of  the  flying  fleet.  Two  had  sunk  from  their 
injuries ;  and  the  others,  crippled  and  struggling,  were  making 
the  best  of  their  way  to  Crown  Point  and  safety.  Arnold,  in  his 
'  Congress '  galley,  with  one  or  two  gondolas,  determined  to  fight 
the  whole  fleet,  and  so  detain  them  till  the  others  had  time  to 
escape.  His  poor  old  craft  was  in  a  terrible  way  from  the  en- 


400  ONE  STEADY  ROUND   OF  SHOT  AND  SHELL. 

counter  she  had  just  had  ;  but  for  four  hours  she  fought  des 
perately.  Seven  Englishmen  surrounded  her,  and  poured  into 
her  one  steady  round  of  shot  and  ball,  and  still  Arnold's  cry 
was,  No  surrender  !  At  last,  when  he  saw  that  the  rest  of  his 
fleet  had  made  good  their  escape,  he  ran  her  ashore,  and  com 
manded  his  men  to  leap  overboard,  and  wade  to  land.  With  his 
own  hand  he  set  her  on  fire,  and,  keeping  off  the  enemy's  small 
boats  till  the  flames  had  such  headway  that  they  could  not  be 
extinguished,  he  left  his  flag  still  flying,  and  escaped  to  land. 

"  I  am  going  to  tell  you  only  one  story  more  of  Arnold's 
daring,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  It  was  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga. 
You  remember  about  that  in  the  wagoner's  story.  It  was  the 
battle  which  caused  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  and  allowed  our 
worthy  wagoner  to  return  to  his  home. 

"  Gates,  who  had  command  of  the  American  forces,  had  thrown 
up  earthworks  at  a  place  called  Bemis  Heights,  and  here  the 
battle  took  place.  The  two  armies  were  within  earshot  of  one 
another.  Early  in  the  morning  the  British  troops  were  seen  to 
be  moving.  Arnold  was  wild  with  impatience.  He  was  not  now 
in  command,  and  so  had  to  await  orders.  At  last  they  came. 
All  day  long  the  battle  raged,  until  night  put  an  end  to  the 
strife.  Like  a  madman  he  rushed  into  the  wildest  danger,  lead 
ing  the  troops  in  person  to  the  charge.  He  was  so  well  known 
that  his  presence  alone  seemed  to  bring  success. 

"  The  battle  was  a  drawn  one.  Both  armies  rested  on  the 
field.  But  Burgoyne's  advance  was  checked.  He  no  longer 
thought  of  marching  to  Albany,  but  of  how  to  escape.  It  was 
too  late.  His  camp  was  surrounded,  his  provisions  were  growing 


THE    EARTHWORKS   AT   BEMIb   HEIGHTS. 


A    WRONGLY  DIRECTED  BULLET.  403 

shorter.  Not  a  mouthful  could  he  gain  by  foraging,  so  closely 
was  he  watched.  His  only  chance  was  in  another  battle  ;  and,  a 
little  more  than  a  fortnight  after  the  first  conflict,  came  the 
second  and  decisive  one. 

"  Arnold  had  in  this  interval  quarrelled  with  his  commanding 
officer,  and  had  been  relieved  of  his  command.  When  the  sound 
of  the  guns  came  to  his  ears,  telling  that  the  battle  had  begun, 
he  paced  up  and  down  his  tent  in  a  fever  of  impatience.  '  I 
can  stand  it  no  longer  !  '  he  exclaimed.  '  If  I  cannot  command, 
I  can  at  least  serve  as  a  volunteer  ; '  and,  leaping  on  his  great 
brown  horse,  he  tore  madly  to  the  fight.  Above  the  noise  of 
the  guns  could  be  heard  the  yells  of  the  men,  as  they  welcomed 
their  old  leader  back.  Placing  himself  once  more  at  their  front, 
he  led  them  on,  waving  his  broadsword  above  his  head,  and 
utterly  disregarding  the  leaden  missives  of  death  that  filled  the 
air. 

"  And  he  led  them  to  victory ;  for  at  the  end  of  that  day, 
when  he  fell,  wounded  in  the  same  leg  that  received  the  ball  at 
Quebec,  the  British  were  routed.". 

"  What  a  hero  he  must  have  been  !  "  exclaimed  they  all. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  .  "  An  historian  has  well  said, 
that,  if  that  bullet  had  ended  his  life,  no  one  would  have  stood 
higher  on  the  roll  of  patriot  heroes  than  Arnold. 

"  Among  the  British  officers  who  were  killed  in  this  battle 
was  Gen.  Frazer.  He  begged  that  he  might  be  buried  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  on  the  top  of  a  neighboring  mountain, 
in  a  redoubt  that  had  been  built  there. 

"  Slowly   the    mournful    procession   moved   up   the   hillside   in 


404  A    WILD  BURIAL  SCENE. 

the  sight  of.  both  armies,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting.  It  was  so 
far  distant  that  the  Americans  mistook  it  for  a  body  of  troops, 
and  opened  fire  upon  them.  As  the  chaplain  read  the  burial- 
service  the  shot  were  whistling  over  his  head,  and  at  times  he 
was  covered  with  loose  earth  as  one  struck  near  him  ;  but  his 
voice  never  faltered. 

"  Then,  all  at  once,  as  the  Americans  discovered  the  nature 
of  the  work  they  were  intent  upon,  the  cannonading  ceased, 
and,  in  its  place,  the  solemn  minute-guns  echoed  through  the 
hills,  bearing  token  of  their  sympathy  and  admiration  of  him 
who  was  gone." 

"  How  thankful  I  am,"  said  Rose,  "  that  there  is  no  war 
now  !  Think  of  going  through  such  dreadful  scenes  !  " 

"  How  could  such  a  man  as  Arnold  turn  traitor  ?  "  said  Ned. 
"  He  had  reached  such  a  height  in  the  affections  of  his  country 
men,  and  had  fought  so  bravely  for  his  native  land ! " 

"  The  height  he  had  reached  only  made  his  fall  the  greater, 
and  the  lustre  of  his  name  only  made  his  treason  blacker,"  said 
Mrs.  Longwood.  "  I  have  shown  you  only  one  side  of  his 
character,  and  the  brightest  side.  Unfortunately  he  was  arrogant 
and  overbearing,  —  he  made  enemies  by  the  score,  —  and  it  was 
openly  said  that  he  was  not  honest.  In  his  Canada  campaign, 
as  well  as  at  other  times,  he  was  accused  of  taking  property 
and  using  it  for  his  own  advantage.  His  enemies,  and  they 
were  many,  worked  busily.  When  Congress  raised  five  briga 
diers  to  higher  rank  they  were  all  his  juniors,  and  men  who- 
had  done  nothing,  while  his  great  services  were  ignored.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  this  slight  was  most  unjust.  His  wrongs  grew 
in  his  mind,  bearing  bitter  fruit. 


PATRIOTS  OPEN  FIRE.  405 


"  Then  the  British  emissaries  began  their  work.  They  praised, 
and  they  flattered,  and  they  promised.  It  was  in  vain,  they  told 
him,  for  the  colonies  to  succeed  in  their  struggle  against  such  a 
mighty  country  as  England.  If  he  would  go  over  to  the  British, 
and  yield  up  possession  of  some  important  post,  the  war  would 
be  ended  all  the  sooner,  and  great  credit  would  be  his.  And, 
besides,  it  should  be  to  his  pecuniary  advantage.  He  should  be 
a  major-general  in  the  British  army,  and  should  receive  a  certain 
sum  in  cash.  And  so  he  listened,  and  he  fell." 

"  How  he  must  have  wept  tears  of  rage  and  mortification  in 
after-life,"  said  Tom,  "  when  he  saw  what  he  had  thrown  away  ! 
How  did  he  turn  traitor  ?  " 

"  He  obtained  the  command  of  West  Point,  a  post  of  such 
importance,  that,  had  he  succeeded  in  delivering  it  up  to  the 
enemy,  as  he  intended,  it  would  have,  no  doubt,  put  an  end  to 
the  war. 

"  The  plan  was  this  :  Arnold  was  to  weaken  the  garrison  as 
much  as  possible,  by  sending  men  away  on  one  pretext  and 
another.  Then  the  British,  who  were  to  be  embarked  in  readi 
ness,  were  suddenly  to  appear  before  the  fort,  and  he  was  to 
surrender  it.  All  these  plans  had  been  fully  discussed  and 
arranged  with  Major  Andre,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fortu 
nate  capture  of  that  officer,  would  have  succeeded. 

"  His  capture  came  about  in  this  way  :  Andre  had  come  up 
the  river  in  the  British  man-of-war  '  Vulture.'  Arnold  had  sent 
a  boat  for  him,  and  had  a  conference,  lasting  until  daylight,  by 
the  river-side.  Then,  as  all  the  arrangements  had  not  been  fully 
made,  Andre  accompanied  the  traitor  to  a  house  near  at  hand. 


406  THREE  MEN  APPEAR  SUDDENLY. 

While  he  was  there,  a  patriot  battery  opened  fire  on  '  The  Vul 
ture,'  with  such  effect  that  she  was  driven  to  hoist  her  anchors, 
and  fall  down  with  the  current.  Consequently  Andre  could  not 
return  to  her.  Arnold  furnished  him  with  maps  and  plans  of 
West  Point,  which  he  put  inside  his  stockings ;  and  then,  with  a 
pass  in  his  pocket,  Andre  set  out  to  make  the  journey  to  New 
York  on  horseback. 

"  All  went  well  for  a  time  ;  but  when  he  reached  Tarry  town, 
and  thought  himself  in  comparative  safety,  he  was  stopped  by 
three  men,  who  seized  and  searched  him.  As  soon  as  they  saw 
the  plans  in  his  stockings,  they  knew  that  he  was  no  common 
man,  and  they  carried  him  to  the  nearest  American  post.  Here 
he  managed  to  get  a  letter  sent  Arnold,  telling  of  his  capture. 
It  came  to  the  traitor  just  as  he,  with  his  aides,  was  at  break 
fast.  Without  a  moment's  delay,  he  went  to  his  wife's  room, 
and  broke  to  her  the  intelligence  that  he  must  fly  for  his  life. 
Then,  springing  on  a  horse  that  stood  at  the  door,  he  tore  madly 
down  the  hill  to  the  river,  and,  entering  a  barge,  bade  the  men 
row  him  to  '  The  Vulture,'  which  still  lay  in  the  stream.  His 
treason  had  failed,  but  he  himself  was  safe." 

"  And  what  became  of  Andre  ? "  asked  Lou. 

"  He  was  tried  as  a  spy,  and  was  hanged,"  said  Mrs.  Long- 
wood. 

"  It  seems  hard  that  Arnold  should  escape,  and  he  suffer," 
said  Carrie. 

"  I  think  it  served  him  right,"  said  Will.  "  It  was  not  a  very 
creditable  piece  of  business  for  an  officer  to  be  engaged  in. 
Trying  to  bribe  a  man  to  be  a  traitor  is  not  generally  considered 


ARNOLD'S   ESCAPE. 


SO  MUCH  FOR    TREASON.  4°9 


to  be  work  for  a  gentleman,  in  the  army  or  out.  But  it  is  an 
awful  pity  that  Arnold  could  not  have  been  hung  too." 

"  His  treason  benefited  him  little,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood ; 
"  for  he  was  distrusted,  and  held  in  secret  if  not  open  contempt, 
by  the  English,  and  despised  by  his  countrymen. 

"  Once,  anxious  to  know  how  he  was  regarded,  he  asked  a 
patriot  captain  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  what  would  be  his 
fate,  should  he  be  taken  by  the  Americans. 

" '  They  will  cut  off,'  said  the  captain,  '  that  shortened  leg  of 
yours,  wounded  at  Quebec  and  Saratoga,  and  bury  it  with  all 
the  honors  of  war,  and  then  hang  the  rest  of  you  on  a  gibbet.' 

"  When  the  Revolution  came  to  an  end,  Arnold  saw  that 
America  could  never  more  be  a  home  for  him.  With  his  family 
he  removed  to  England,  and  there  passed  the  rest  of  his  days  in 
obscurity.  Business  reverses  came  upon  him  ;  and,  when  he  lay 
dying,  he  knew  that,  except  the  pensions  wrhich  his  treason  had 
bought,  his  family  had  almost  nothing  wherewith  to  buy  their 
daily  bread. 

"  So  much  for  treason." 


CHAPTER    X. 


JUST  as  Mrs.  Long- 
wood  finished,  the  head 
and  shoulders  of  Mr. 
Longwood  appeared, 
coming  up  the  hill. 
Tom  and  Carrie  ran  to 
meet  him,  and  soon  he 
was  sitting  on  the  grass 
beside  them. 

"  That  tiresome  busi 
ness  is  through  with,  at 
last,"  he  said;  "and  now 
what  shall  we  do  ?  Do 
you  propose  to  stay  at 
a  hotel  in  New  London 
all  night  ?  or  what  are  your  plans,  young  people  ?  " 

"  Shall  we    not   get  back  to  House  No.  2  in  time  to  sleep  ? "" 
asked  the  girls. 

"  Hardly,"  said   Tom.     "  Why,   it    is    now   half-past    four ;    and, 
if  we  set  out  at  once,  with  the    light  wind   there    is   blowing,  we 
should   hardly    get    back    to    Fort    Pond    before    twelve    o'clock. 
410 


• 
THEY  SET  OFF  FOR    THE    TOWfr.  41  r 

And  I  presume  you  would  not  enjoy  the  walk  across  the  moors 
to  the  house,  in  the  pitchy  blackness  of  midnight." 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Gertrude. 

'  A  hotel  is  so  stupid  !  "  said  Carrie  ;  "  but  I  suppose  there 
is  nothing  else  for  it." 

"  I  have  an  idea,"  said  Jack.  "  Why  not  all  spend  the  night 
on  the  schooner  ?  The  cabin  will  take  Mrs.  Longwood  and  you 
girls  very  snugly,  and  Mr.  Longwood  can  have  a  hammock,  —  I 
am  sure  there  must  be  an  extra  one.  We  fellows  could  roll 
ourselves  up,  each  in  a  rug,  and  camp  down  anywhere.  It  will 
be  delicious  sailing  to-night.  There  is  a  moon  ;  and  it  is  so 
warm  that  we  can  be  on  deck  late,  without  feeling  the  slightest 
chill." 

The  girls  all  seemed  to  fancy  Jack's  idea ;  and  so  it  was 
decided  to  adopt  it. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  unless  you  wish  to  sit 
longer  on  this  hill,  suppose  we  go  over  to  the  town,  and  see 
what  is  to  be  seen.  I  should  like  to  get  a  newspaper,  and  learn 
what  has  been  going  on  in  the  world  while  we  have  been  away 
from  it.  Possibly,  too,  we  may  find  something  to  supplement 
'The  Mavis's'  larder." 

So  they  started  off  for  the  town.  Apparently  they  did  find 
something  there  to  add  to  their  table  ;  for  when,  an  hour  later, 
they  came  straggling  down  to  the  waterside,  to  once  more  get 
aboard  their  schooner,  every  boy  and  girl  was  carrying  a  package 
of  some  kind,  while  Jack  led  the  way  with  two  huge  melons 
under  his  arms. 

"  There,"  he  said,  with   a   sigh   of  relief,  as   he   handed   them- 


412  JACK  EARNS  HIS  SUPPER. 

to  Thomas  John,  who  laid  them  carefully  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  "  I've  earned  my  supper,  anyway  !  " 

The  sun  was  low  down  in  the  west  as  "  The  Mavis  "  glided 
slowly  out  of  the  harbor.  The  air  was  full  of  sea-gulls,  and 
here  and  there,  as  they  moved  onward,  they  passed  an  incoming 
craft.  One  of  these  attracted  their  especial  attention,  for  the 
skipper  was  no  other  than  a  young  girl.  The  sun  was  shining 
brightly  on  her  slender  figure,  as  she  grasped  the  tiller  firmly  ; 
and,  just  as  they  passed,  they  heard  her  father's  gruff  call, 
"  Luff  a  little,  lassie  !  "  and  her  clear  answer,  "  Luff  it  is,  sir  !  " 

The  girls  all  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  as  they  passed  close 
by.  What  effect  the  sight  of  her  had  on  the  boys,  I  can  only 
judge  from  its  effect  on  one.  Jack  disappeared  :  at  least,  they 
saw  nothing  of  him  for  ten  minutes.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  came  back,  with  a  piece  of  paper  and  a  stump  of  a  pencil 
in  his  hand,  and  inquired  softly  of  Will,  "  I  say,  what  rhymes 
with  skipper  ?  " 

"  Hallo  !  "  said  Charlie,  who  overheard.  "  Jack  wishes  to 
write  a  poem  about  the  pretty  skipper,  but  is  balked  by  the 
lack  of  a  rhyme.  Let's  see,  Jack :  what  rhymes  with  skipper  ? 
Why  "  — 

"  I'd  rather  know  what  rhymes  with  supper,"  said  Rose. 
"  Do,  boys,  see  when  we  are  to  have  it." 

So  two  or  three  of  them  went  forward  at  once,  and,  return 
ing  after  a  little,  announced  that  it  was  almost  ready. 

"  You  sat  a  long  time  on  the  hill-top  this  afternoon,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood,  as  they  lingered  about  the  remains  of  their 
meal.  "  I  suppose  you  learned  all  aboicl  New  London  in  the 
olden  times." 


THE   PRETTY    sl<,  H'l'KR 


MATHER  BYLES  IS   TROUBLED.  415 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Ned.  "  We  learned  a  great  deal  about 
Arnold ;  but  we  heard  nothing  of  New  London.  Do  tell  us 
something." 

"  Didn't  Mrs.  Longwood  tell  you  about  the  Rev.  Mather 
Byles  and  his  troubles  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Jack.  "  What  were  his  troubles  ?  Colds  in  the 
head  ?  His  name  sounds  like  that." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  he  was  troubled  in  that  way,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  smiling.  "  He  was  a  minister." 

"  Do  let  us  hear  about  him,"  said  they  all,  drawing  nearer. 

"  You  know,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  that  our  excellent  ances 
tors  of  many  generations  ago  came  to  this  country  for  religious 
toleration.  By  religious  toleration  they  understood  that  any 
person  should  be  free  to  believe  as  they  did.  If  he  did  not  so 
believe,  they  made  short  work  of  him.  Roger  Williams,  for 
instance,  was  driven  out  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  in  winter, 
and  travelled  through  the  woods  alone  and  unprotected  to  Provi 
dence,  where  he  could  found  a  new  settlement,  and  hold  his 
opinions  undisturbed. 

"  But  everywhere,  whatever  difference  on  doctrines  there  might 
be,  they  agreed  on  one  thing,  and  that  was,  that  Sunday  was  to 
be  kept  in  the  strictest  way  possible.  The  Pilgrims  who  came 
in  '  The  Mayflower '  fined  any  one  of  their  number  who  might 
be  seen  walking  in  the  fields  on  Sunday  ;  and,  if  you  look  over 
the  old  court  records  of  New  London,  you  will  find,  in  the  year 
1670,  an  entry  like  this:  — 

"  John  Lewis  and  Sarah  Chapman  are  presented  for  sitting  together  on  the 
Lord's  day,  under  an  apple-tree  in  Goodman  Chapman's  orchard.'  " 


416 


AN  AWFULLY  MEAN  FELLOW. 


"  He  must  have  been 
an  awfully  mean  fellow  who 
told  of  them,"  said  Jack. 

"  They  ought  to  have 
been  reading  their  Bibles," 
said  Carrie,  with  great  se 
verity. 

"  I  imagine  that  some 
times  the  young  people  were 
hard  to  manage,  even  when 
they  did  come  to  church," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  A 
year  or  two  before  John 
Lewis  and  Sarah  Chapman 
came  to  such  signal  grief 
for  defying  public  opinion, 
a  town  in  Massachusetts 
held  a  meeting,  and  — 

" '  The  town  ordered  that  no 
woman,  maid,  nor  boy,  nor  gall, 
shall  sit  in  the  South  Alley  &  East 
Alley  of  the  M.  House,  upon  penalty 
of  twelvepence  for  every  day  they 
sit  in  the  alley  after  the  present  day. 
It  was  further  ordered  that  every 
dog  that  comes  to  the  meeting  after 
the  present  day,  either  of  Lord's 
days  or  lecture  days,  except  it  be 

their  dogs  that  pays  for  a  dog  whipper.  the  owner  of  these  dogs  shall  pay  sixpence 
for  every  time  they  come  to  the  meeting,  that  doth  not  pay  the  dog  whipper.'  " 


A    FAIR   PURITAN. 


ROGER   WILLIAMS  IN   THE   FOREST. 


UNFRUITFUL   WORK  OF  DARKNESS.  419 

"  I  say,"  said  Jack,  "  it  must  have  been  fun  to  go  to  church 
in  those  days !  " 

"  Especially  for  the  dog-whipper,"  said  Ned. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mr.  Longwood,  "  the  Rev.  Mather  Byles 
lived  about  a  hundred  years  after  John  Lewis  and  Sarah  Chap 
man  ;  but  the  people  in  his  day  did  much  worse  things  to  trouble 
him  than  sitting  together  under  apple-trees  on  Sunday.  A  sect 
sprang  up,  called  Rogerines,  who  considered  it  their  duty  to 
bear  testimony  against  the  ministers  of  the  day,  because,  among  < 
other  things,  they  preached  for  hire,  and  because  they  made  long 
prayers,  which  are  forbidden  in  the  New  Testament,  and  because 
they  observed  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  they  said  was  no 
sabbath  by  God's  appointment.  Their  way  of  bearing  testimony 
was  peculiar.  One  of  them  has  written  a  book  on  the  subject, 
and  this  is  what  he  says  :  — 

" '  yune  10,  1764.  —  We  went  to  the  meeting  house  and  some  of  our  people 
went  in  and  sat  down ;  others  tarried  without  &  sat  upon  the  ground.  And  when 
Mather  Byles  their  priest  began  to  say  over  his  formal  synagogue  prayer,  some  of 
our  women  began  to  knit,  others  to  sew,  that  it  might  be  made  manifest  they 
had  no  fellowship  with  such  unfruitful  works  of  darkness.  But  Justice  Coit  and 
the  congregation  were  much  offended  at  this  testimony  and  fell  upon  them  in  the 
very  time  of  their  prayer  and  drove  us  all  out  of  the  house  in  a  most  furious 
manner.' 

"  These  testimony-bearing  Quakers  were  brought  before  the 
justices  the  next  day,  and  sent  to  prison  for  a  short  time  for 
disturbing  the  peace.  But  this  only  egged  them  on.  The  women 
brought  their  spinning-wheels  ;  and  every  Sunday  they  bore  their 
testimony  in  the  same  disagreeable  way,  and  were  ejected.  They 


420 


MATHER  BYLES  (IAS  A    QUICK   TEMPER. 


visited    every   church    in    the    neighborhood  ;    but   were    especially 
fond    of   Mather    Byles,    because    of    his    choleric    temper.       If   all 
were  quiet  in  the  church,  and    he  were    proceeding  with    his    ser 
mon,  a  Quaker  had  but  to  put  on  his  hat,  to  bring  on  a  tempest. 


THE   WAY   JOHN    LEWIS   OUGHT  TO    HAVE   SPENT  THE   SABBATH. 

The  minister  would  stop  short ;  nor  could  he  be  persuaded  to 
go  on,  until  the  obnoxious  covering  was  removed.  He  was  so 
touchy  on  this  subject,  that  he  would  not  leave  his  house  to  go 


JACK  SIGHS  FOR   THE  PAST.  421 

to  church,  if  one  were  in  the  path.  The  wily  Quakers  knew 
this  ;  and  on  Sunday  morning  a  couple  might,  perhaps,  sit  on 
his  doorstep,  and  one  or  two  more  loiter  by  the  path  that  led  to 
church.  Then  the  congregation  would  assemble,  and  take  their 
seats.  The  hour  would  pass ;  but  no  minister  would  come. 
There  would  the  people  sit,  and  the  bell  would  keep  on  tolling, 
perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  minutes  ;  but  Mr.  Byles  would  not  budge 
from  his  house  until  a  constable  arrived,  to  drive  the  obnoxious 
Quakers  from  his  path." 

"  Why  wasn't  I  born  in  those  days  ?  "  said  Jack  earnestly. 

"  I  fear,  you  young  rogue,  that  you  would  have  been  a 
Quaker,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  Well,  at  each  new  outbreak  the  testimony-bearers  were 
brought  up  for  trial.  For  each  fresh  offence  the  time  of  impris 
onment  was  doubled ;  so  that  presently  the  jail  was  crowded. 
At  length,  one  Sunday,  the  imprisoned  Quakers  saw  a  fresh 
party  approaching,  under  the  care  of  the  constables.  They 
decided  that  they  had  already  as-  many  in  the  jail  as  could  be 
comfortable.  So  they  barred  the  door.  Their  historian  says  :  — 

"'We  blew  a  shell  in  the  prison  in  defiance  of  their  idol  Sabbath,  and  to 
mock  their  false  worship,  as  Elijah  mocked  the  worshippers  of  Baal.  The  authority 
gave  orders  to  break  open  the  prison  door,  so  they  went  to  work  and  labored 
exceeding  hard  on  their  Sabbath,  cutting  with  axes  and  heaving  at  the  door  with 
iron  bars  for  a  considerable  time  till  they  were  wearied,  but  could  not  break  open 
the  door." 

"  The  constables  were  not  to  be  balked,  however :  finding 
the  door  so  stout,  they  cut  a  hole  in  the  roof,  and  dropped  the 
fresh  arrivals  on  the  heads  of  their  friends  below." 


422  A  REACTION  SETS  IN. 


"  And  how  did  all  these  troubles  end  ?  "  asked  Lou. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  authorities  proceeded  presently 
to  very  brutal  measures,  for  they  began  to  whip  men  and 
women  ;  but  this  produced  a  re-action,  and  gradually  the  whole 
thing  died  out." 


CHAPTER    XI. 


I  HAVE  forgotten  to  mention, 
that,  among  the  purchases  at 
New  London,  was  one  by  Jack, 
of  a  very  shrill  whistle.  It  had 
lain  forgotten  in  his  trousers 
pocket,  until  now ;  but,  of  a 
sudden  remembering  it,  he  drew 
it  forth,  and  gave  a  blast  upon 
it  that  caused  them  all  to  put 
their  hands  to  their  ears. 

"  I  have  noticed,  with   great 

pain,"  said  he,  attempting  to  hold  the  whistle  between  his  lips, 
and  talk  at  the  same  time  ;  and,  in  consequence,  uttering  some 
unintelligible  sounds,  —  "I  have  noticed,  with  great  pain,  that 
this  vessel  was  so  insufficiently  manned  and  provided,  that  it  had 
not  a  boatswain,  or  even  a  boatswain's  whistle.  At  great  trouble, 
and  out  of  my  limited  resources,  I  have  procured  a  whistle, 
which,  while  lacking  in  proper  force,  is  yet  a  fair  substitute  for 
that  in  ordinary  use." 

And    he    gave    another   blast    upon    it,    by   way   of  illustration, 
grinning  with  mischief,  as  the  girls  again  covered    their  ears  with 

423 


424  HASTINGS   THE  BO'SUN. 

their  hands,  to  deaden  the  shrill  sounds.  "  By  a  little  practice, 
I  think  I  can  make  myself  heard  quite  a  distance,"  he  added. 
"  Henceforth  you  will  please  address  me  as  Hastings  the  bo'sun. 
I  say,  Carrie,  toss  me  over  a  peach,  will  you  ?  " 

"•It  is  not  customary  for  the  bo'sun  to  mess  with  the  pas 
sengers,"  said  Carrie  with  great  dignity.  "I  do  not  know 
whether  Capt.  Jackson  has  provided  peaches  for  the  crew,  or 
not.  If  he  has,  you  will  probably  find  them  forward  ;  "  and  she 
took  up  one,  and  commenced  to  munch  it  with  great  satisfaction. 

The  laugh  was  decidedly  against  Jack ;  but  that  young  man 
was  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  came  close  behind  Carrie,  and 
said :  "If  the  passengers  revolt,  and  disobey  the  officers,  they 
are  put  under  arrest.  Will  you  hand  me  a  peach  ;  or  shall  I 
pipe  all  hands,  to  put  you  in  irons  ? "  and  he  bent  forward,  so 
that  his  mouth  was  close  to  her,  and  put  the  whistle  to  his  lips. 

"  Goodness,  Jack  !  "  she  cried.  "  Don't  blow  that  fearful  thing 
in  my  ears,  and  you  shall  have  all  the  peaches  you  want.  Here, 
take  them  !  "  and  she  handed  him  the  dish. 

The  victor  selected  the  best  one,  and,  magnanimously  saying 
nothing  about  his  triumph,  strolled  away,  eating  it. 

The  others  sat  about,  chatting  idly.  Presently  the  sun  went 
down,  and  twilight  began  to  come  over  the  waters.  The  moon, 
however,  did  her  best  to  enliven  the  scene,  so  that  the  little 
groups  scattered  about  "  The  Mavis's  "  deck  were  plainly  visible 
to  one  another.  By  and  by  Capt.  Jackson  made  his  appearance 
from  somewhere  below,  and  began  to  talk  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Longwood. 

Carrie   soon    joined   them.      "  Capt,   Jackson,"    she   exclaimed, 


CAPT.  JACKSON  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK. 


425 


"  you  haven't  told  us  a  story ;  and  you  must  know  ever  so  many. 
Tell  us  one  ;   won't  you  ?  " 

Capt.  Jackson  looked  like  a  man  upon  whom  a  long-expected 
blow  had  fallen. 


THE   MOON   ENLIVENS  THE   SCENE. 


"  I  never  in  all  my  life  saw  a  passel  of  boys  and  girls  so 
sharp-set  after  stories  as  you  all,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Why,  you're 
worse  than  blue-fish  after  menhaden.  I  knew  it  was  comin', 
though,"  he  went  on.  "  I  knew  you'd  be  after  me  for  a  story  ; 
and  it  seemed  like  as  if  all  the  little  wits  I  had  went  clean  out 
of  me  at  the  idee.  I  kep'  away  from  you  the  whole  way  over 
this  mornin',  a-purpose.  There  was  a  story  I  remembered  havin' 


426  AUNT  JERUSHA'S  BABY. 

heard  my  mother  tell,  which  was  considerable  amusin',  —  how  my 
aunt  Jerusha's  baby  cut  her  first  teeth.  I  put  a  powerful  amount 
of  strain  on  myself  to  overhaul  that  yarn,  but  somehow  I 
couldn't  get  the  points  to  lie  rightly  in  my  mind  ;  and  what  to 
do  I  couldn't  tell,  no  ways.  I  didn't  know  but  I  should  have  to  fall 
back  on  the  Flying  Dutchman. 

"  And  so,  while  you  were  all  on  the  top  of  the  hill  at  New 
London,  —  yarnin',  I'll  be  bound,  —  I  went  ashore  in  the  town, 
to  walk  about  a  bit,  and  give  my  mind  a  rest.  I  strolled  on,  for 
a  time,  till  I  kind  o'  lost  my  bearin's  ;  so  I  stopped  in  a  gro 
cer's  shop,  to  get  the  reckonin'.  The  young  man  behind  the 
counter  was  waitin'  on  a  young  woman  ;  so  I  cast  my  eyes  about 
a  bit,  and  there,  lyin'  on  a  barr'l,  was  an  old  newspaper.  The 
fust  thing  I  see,  in  the  corner  of  it,  was  a  bit  of  poetry.  I 
read  down  a  ways,  and  then  I  knew  that  my  goin'  into  that 
store  was  providential  ;  for  there  was  the  story  I  was  after,  all 
blocked  out  in  print." 

"About  aunt  Jerusha's  baby?"  asked  Jack,  who  had  joined 
the  group. 

"  No,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  a  much  better  story  than  that. 
Just  wait  a  bit. 

"  Well,  when  the  young  man  had  done  up  the  young  woman's 
package,  which  took  some  time,  he  turned  to  me  kind  o'  sharp, 
and  says  he,  — 

"  '  What  will  you  have,  sir  ? 

"  I  rather  calcalate  that  they  two  was  a-conversin',"  said  the 
captain  with  a  chuckle,  "  and  didn't  think  my  comin'  in  was  so 
providential  as  I  did.  I  was  kind  o'  took  aback  by  his  question, 
for  I  was  readin'  away  for  dear  life  ;  but  I  looks  up  at  once. 


A   POUND   OF  GUNPOWDER.  427 

"  '  I'll  have  a  pound  of  gunpowder,'  says  I. 

"  '  We  don't  keep  it,'  says  he,  short  like,  and  snappish. 

"  Well,  then/  says  I,  '  give  me  a  pound  of  saleratus.  That 
will  answer  the  same  purpose.' 

"  He  looked  at  me  as  if  he  thought  I  was  an  ijot ;  but  he 
went  away  back,  and  began  to  dig  it  out  of  a  drawer,  and  I 
just  folded  that  paper  up  small,  and  put  it  in  my  pocket.  When 
he  brought  the  saleratus,  I  paid  for  it,  and  come  away,  without 
even  so  much  as  asking  the  question  I  went  in  for.  When  I 
got  to  the  next  corner,  I  looked  around,  and  there  was  that 
young  man  standing  in  the  doorway  watchin'  me. 

"  'Twas  the  fust  time  that  I  ever  stole,  —  that  I  recollect,"  — 
added  the  captain  ;  "  and,  till  I  got  safe  aboard  again,  I  was 
afraid  to  look  over  my  shoulder,  for  fear  of  seein'  a  policeman 
after  me.  But  they  haven't  caught  me  yet ;  and  I  calcalate  that, 
by  this  time,  we're  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut,  and 
I'm  tolerable  safe." 

"  Pipe  all  hands  to  hear  Capt.  Jackson's  story,"  said  Hastings 
the  bo'sun,  blowing  vigorously  pn  his  whistle. 

The  girls  and  boys  all  gathered  around. 

"  I  must  have  a  lantern,"  said  the  captain,  taking  the  news 
paper  out  of  his  pocket,  and  unfolding  it. 

So  Jack  brought  one. 

:'  It's  poetry,"  said  he,  looking  around  on  their  attentive  faces. 
"The  paper  says  it's  written  by  a  gifted  fellow-townsman.  The 
name  of  the  piece  is  '  Scituate,  1812.'  Scituate  is  the  name  of 
a  place;  1812  is  a  date."  And  without  further  preamble,  he 
began  to  read  :  — 


-428  CAPT.   JACKSON'S   TALE. 

Away  in  the  top  of  the  tall  white  tower, 

The  light-keeper's  daughter  breathless  stands ; 

Forgotten  the  lamps  with  their  half-trimmed  wicks, 

Forgotten  the  scissors  that  fall  from  her  hands. 

The  fishing-boats  below  sail  free, 

But  her  gaze  is  fixed  far  out  at  sea, 

As  she  shields  her  eyes  from  the  sun's  strong  glare. 

Then  her  voice  rings  shrilly  down  the  stair : 

'  Run,  boys,  run  !   and  rouse  the  town  ! 

Tis  a  British  cruiser  coming  down  ! ' 

Up  on  the  cliffs  that  o'erhang  the  bay, 

The  fisher-folk  run  at  the  first  alarm. 

War  is  abroad  !     To  these  peaceful  folk 

A  British  cruiser  is  rife  with  harm. 

Nets  and  boats  are  their  worldly  good ; 

For  they  wring  from  the  sea  a  livelihood, 

And  gaunt  hunger  follows  when  these  are  gone. 

Helpless  they  watch  the  ship  bear  down ; 

Not  a  dozen  muskets  in  the  bay, 

And  Boston  a  score  of  miles  away. 

Steadily  on  with  the  rising  tide, 

The  incoming  ship  draws  near  the  land. 

They  can  hear  the  splash  as  her  anchor  drops, 

They  can  hear  from  her  decks  the  gruff  word  of  command 

'  Man  the  boats,  and  lower  away. 

Burn  out  these  rats  that  infest  the  bay  ! ' 

Their  red  coats  gleam  as  the  boats  draw  near, 

But  a  redder  gleam  there  shall  soon  appear, 

As  the  cruel  flames  seize  boats  and  town, 

While  the  men  above  look  helpless  down. 


UNDER  THE   SAND-HILLS   WE'LL  BEAT   AND   PLAY. 


OUT  PEALED    THE  FIFE.  431 

Away  on  the  point,  from  the  light-house  tower, 

The  light-keeper's  daughter  sees  it  all. 

An  angry  flush  on  each  red  cheek  burns, 

And  she  springs  to  her  feet  with  a  sudden  call : 

'  Sal !   take  the  drum.     I'll  take  the  fife. 

We'll  bear  a  hand  in  the  coming  strife. 

Under  the  sand-hills  we'll  beat  and  play, 

As  we  stride  out  of  sight  by  the  side  of  the  bay. 

They'll  think  us  the  troops  from  Boston  down. 

'Tis  the  only  chance  to  save  the  town.' 

Forward,  march  !     And  out  pealed  the  fife, 
And  steadily  rolled  the  throbbing  drum. 
The  red-coats  across  the  bay  stop  short. 
As  the  warlike  notes  o'er  the  waters  come. 
'  Recruits  are  marching  down  the  bay, 
To  cut  us  off !     To  the  boats  !     Away ! 
In,  men,  and  pull  for  your  lives  ! '  they  cry. 
'We  are  caught  in  a  trap,  and  we  must  fly. 
Pull  for  the  ship.     Make  no  delay. 
Let  us  get  out  of  this  cursed  bay ! ' 

Then  from  the  cliffs  those  old  muskets  blazed, 
And  on  many  a  red  coat  a  redder  spot  burned; 
But  they  never  slacked  oars  in  their  headlong  flight, 
Or  a  single  glance  over  their  shoulder  turned; 
For  on  the  wind  came  sharp  and  clear 
The  sounds  that  told  of  the  foemen  near. 
Shrill  and  more  shrilly  the  fifer  blew, 
And  louder  and  louder  the  deep  drum-beats  grew; 
So  they  fled  in  haste  down  the  quiet  bay, 
Hoisted  their  anchor,  and  sailed  away." 


432  JACK  INQUIRES  AS   TO  SALERATUS. 

The  reading  of  this  ballad  took  some  time  ;  for  Capt.  Jack 
son  had  not  given  that  attention  to  his  early  studies  that  he 
ought  to  have  done.  Besides,  as  he  read  on,  he  became  more 
and  more  impressed  with  the  idea  that  this  poetry  was  very  fine  ; 
and,  whenever  a  line  occurred  that  struck  him  as  particularly 
good,  he  stopped,  and  read  it  over  again.  At  last,  however,  it 
was  finished. 

"  What  became  of  the  saleratus  ?  "  asked  Jack  the  irrelevant. 

Capt.  Jackson  looked  dazed.  "  I  don't  recall  no  mention  of 
saleratus  in  the  poem,"  he  said  with  dignity. 

"  I  mean  the  saleratus  you  bought,"  said  Jack. 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  captain,  relaxing.  "  I  gave  it  to  a  poor 
woman  on  the  pier.  She  thanked  me  kindly,  and  said  that  her 
husband  was  very  fond  of  it  in  his  bread." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  could  remember  about  aunt  Jerusha's 
baby  ?  "  asked  Carrie.  "  Try  again." 

Capt.  Jackson  was  very  much  elated  by  the  success  of  his 
ballad.  He  felt  very  much  like  talking  on  indefinitely.  He 
scratched  his  head  with  his  hand,  and  meditated  for  a  moment. 

"  The  story,  as  my  mother  used  to  tell  it,"  said  he,  "  was  a 
full-rigged  ship,  with  all  sails  set,  and  streamers  flyin'.  As  I 
remember  it,  it  is  nothin'  but  an  old  hull,  with  not  a  spar  aloft. 
Howsomendever :  — 

"  My  aunt  Jerusha  was  a  spinster  lady  who  married  late  in 
life.  Her  husband  was  the  squire  of  the  place,  —  a  big,  burly 
fellow,  who  seemed  to  like  a  sight  better  to  be  out  with  his 
cows  and  horses,  with  a  dozen  dogs  around,  than  in  the  house 
with  his  wife.  And,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  much  blame  him  ; 


AUNT  JERUSHA   IS  A   NEAT  WOMAN.  433 

for  she  was  as  neat  as  Sunday  mornin'.  She'd  a-liked  to  had 
him  take  off  his  boots  on  the  porch,  every  time  he  come  into 
the  house,  only  he  was  a  man  of  sperrit,  and  would  have  his 
own  way. 

"  Well,  by  and  by,  aunt  Jerusha  she  had  a  girl-baby.  She 
and  the  squire  was  sot  up,  no  end.  The  squire,  fust  time  he 
see  the  child,  was  considerable  took  aback.  She  was  smaller 
than  he  expected.  He  looked  her  over  pretty  careful,  and  said 
her  p'ints  was  good,  though  he'd  liked  it  better  if  the  roof  of 
her  mouth  had  been  black ;  and  that  he  thought,  as  far  as  he 
could  judge  of  so  young  a  filly,  she  had  good  stayin'  powers. 

"  Well,  that  couple  was  considerable  foolish  over  that  baby. 
It  was  really  amusin'.  And  so  things  went  on  for  a  spell,  when 
the  squire  had  to  go  to  Boston  on  one  of  his  cattle-trades.  He 
always  put  up  at  Adams's  Hotel,  and  Miss  Jerusha  she  knew  it. 
The  baby  had  been  considerable  fretful  for  quite  a  spell  ;  and, 
the  day  after  he  went,  she  found  that  two  teeth  had  come  through. 
And  she  alone  was  foolisher  about  those  teeth  than  they  both 
had  ever  been  at  any  time  since  that  baby  was  born,  and  that's 
sayin'  a  good  deal  too. 

"  Now,  the  telegraph  had  just  been  put  into  the  town.  The 
squire  he  thought  highly  of  it  ;  but  Miss  Jerusha  she  said  it 
was  flyin'  in  the  face  of  Providence,  and  never,  no,  never,  would 
she  use  such  a  sinful  thing.  But  when  those  '  little  toothins  * 
come,  she  was  wild  to  have  the  squire  know.  And,  the  more 
she  thought,  the  less  the'  telegraph  seemed  like  flyin'  in  the  face 
of  Providence.  So  she  up  with  an  old  memorandum-book  that 
lay  on  the  table,  and  tore  a  page  out,  and  on  it  she  wrote  :  — 


434  THE  BRINDLE  AND   THE  RED   COW. 

" '  The  baby  has  cut  two  teeth.     Bring  it  a  present.' 

"  Then  she  called  Jake  the  hired  man,  and  gave  it  to  him, 
and  told  him  to  go  to  the  office,  and  ask  the  operator  to  get 
that  there  piece  of  paper  to  the  squire's  hands  at  Adams's  Hotel 
in  Boston,  just  as  quick  as  he  could.  It  was  an  old  diary  of 
the  squire's  grandfather  that  she  took  the  page  out  of  to  write 
on  ;  but  she  said  the  squire'd  know  her  writin',  so  it  didn't  make 
no  difference  what  was  wrote  on  the  other  side.  But  it  did 
made  a  difference  ;  for  the  operator  sent  the  wrong  side  of  the 
paper,  and  this  was  the  message  the  squire  got :  — 

" '  This  day  the  brindle  and  the  red  cow  got  fast  in  the  bog.  We  did  our 
best,  but  could  not  extricate  them.' 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  felt  very  chipper  after  her  despatch  went 
off.  To  be  sure,  she  was  some  took  aback  by  what  it  cost,  — 
the  worth  of  six  whole  dozen  eggs  ;  but,  after  all,  that  was  of 
no  account.  So  there  she  sot,  thinking  what  the  squire  would 
bring,  —  a  silver  rattle,  no  doubt,  —  and  kind  o'  huggin'  her  own 
smartness,  when  up  come  a  message  from  the  squire  :  — 

" '  Get  Jerry  the  blacksmith,  and  his  gang  and  tackle,  and  yank  them  out 
before  they  get  in  any  faster.  I'll  be  down  in  afternoon  train.' 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  was  a  woman  who  had  considerable  tem 
per,  and  they  do  say  she  sputtered  considerable  when  she  read 
this.  This  was  the  squire's  idee  of  a  good  joke,  was  it  ?  She 
always  knew  his  family  were  inferior  to  her'n  in  breedin',  but  she 
did  think  he  had  better  manners  'n  that.  And  she  was  so  riled 
up  that  she  just  locked  the  door  of  her  room  when  the  time 


'JERUSHA!'  SAYS  HE.  435 

come  for  the  squire,  and  there  she  sot.  The  squire  he  come  on 
time ;  and,  as  he  walked  up  to  his  house,  he  passed  by  the 
blacksmith-shop. 

"  '  Well,  Jerry,'  he  says  to  the  smith,  who  stood  in  the  door ; 
4  did  you  get  'em  out  ?  ' 

"  But  Jerry  didn't  know  what  the  squire  was  talkin'  about, 
and  told  him  so. 

"  When  the  squire  found  that  Jerry  had  had  no  message  from 
aunt  Jerusha,  he  was  quite  excited,  for  he  sot  great  store  by  his 
cattle  ;  and  he  thought  it  was  the  fault  of  the  telegraph,  who 
hadn't  delivered  his  message.  So  he  stirred  about ;  and,  pretty 
soon,  Jerry  and  the  two  men  had  the  tackle  on  their  shoulders, 
and  were  marchin'  down  the  street  as  fast  as  they  could  g&,  — 
the  squire,  red-faced  and  puffin',  at  their  head. 

"  Miss  Jerusha  she  saw  'em  comin' ;  but  she  only  gave  a  sniff, 
and  tossed  her  head,  and  sot  still,  contemptuous  like. 

"  Pretty  soon  she  saw  Jerry  and  his  men  go  back  down  the 
road ;  for  the  squire  had  met  Jake  the  hired  man,  and  found 
that  the  cattle  had  not  been  in  the  bog. 

"  Then  she  heard  him  come  up  the  stairs  and  try  the  door ; 
but  she  sot  still. 

"  ' Jerusha  !  '  says  he. 

"  Not  a  word  says  she. 

"Then 'he  tried  to  bend  down,  to  look  through  the  keyhole; 
but  he  was  so  stout  that  he  couldn't. 

"  '  Jerusha ! '  says  he  again  ;   but  not  a  word  says  she. 

"  '  I  vum  !  '  says  he,  scared  like  ;  and  aloud,  '  She's  off  her 
mind  ;  and  that  accounts  for  the  telegram.  Bill  Jones  told  me, 


ACK  INSTRUCTS   THE   CAPTAIN. 


before  I  married,  that  there  was  a  streak  of  craze  in  her  family, 
and  that  I'd  better  keep  my  eye  open.' 

"  '  This  was  mor'n  Jerusha  could  stand.  '  I  ain't  off  my 
mind  !  '  she  says  ;  '  and  there  ain't  no  such  thing  in  my  family.' 

"  Well,  by  and  by  the  whole  facts  come  out  ;  and  the  squire 
he  sot  down  on  the  stairs,  and  laughed  till  the  tears  rolled  down 
his  cheeks,  and  you  could  have  heard  him  a  mile  off.  But  Miss 
Jerusha  she  was  powerful  mad  at  the  telegraph  man,  and  they 
do  say  she  didn't  ever  speak  to  him  again." 

Capt.  Jackson  was  a  wise  man.  He  felt  that  he  had  reached 
a  point  where  he  might  retire  from  the  role  of  story-teller,  and 
leave  behind  him  quite  a  glowing  reputation.  So  he  rose  up 
from  the  deck  where  he  had  been  sitting,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  laugh  that  his  story  had  raised,  strode  away.  We  should 
have  said,  walked  away,  except  that  his  gait,  like  that  of  all  true 
sailors,  was  a  compound  of  roll  and  jerk,  and  indescribable  by 
any  one  word.  The  boys  and  girls  all  called  to  him  to  come 
back  ;  but  he  paid  no  attention,  and  disappeared  down  the  steps 
that  led  to  the  cabin.  Jack  followed  presently,  and  found  him 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  room,  looking  helplessly  around  at 
the  berths  that  lined  it. 

"  I  ain't  much  used  to  women-folks'  ways,  myself,"  said  the 
captain  slowly  and  solemnly.  "  Do  you  reckon  they'll  expect 
pillers,  all  on  'em  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  said  Jack  promptly.  "  I  understand  that  on 
land  it  is  the  custom  for  ladies  to  sleep  with  their  heads  hanging 
down  over  the  side  of  the  bed  ;  and  I  presume  that  at  sea  they 
would  follow  the  same  habit."  And  the  young  rascal  looked  the 


WOMEN-FOLKS'    WAYS.  437 

captain  as  steadily  and  calmly  in  the  face,  as  if  he  had  been 
only  saying  that  it  was  a  quarter  past  nine  o'clock. 

Capt.  Jackson  was  more  dazed  than  ever.  "  Tell  you  what," 
he  said,  after  a  moment's  meditation,  "  you're  bo'sun,  eh  ? " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  said  Jack. 

'  Then  on  deck  with  you,  and  ask  Mr.  Longwood  to  step 
here  a  moment." 

Jack  disappeared  at  once.  "  The  Admiral  of  the  Squadron," 
said  he,  saluting  Mr.  Longwood  as  he  approached,  "  presents  his 
compliments  to  the  Commander  of  the  Land-forces,  and  would 
like  to  see  him  in  his  cabin." 

The  Commander  of  the  Land-forces  evidently  was  more  versed 
in  "  women-folks'  ways  "  than  the  Admiral  of  the  Squadron.  He 
pulled  about  blankets  and  rugs  vigorously  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  announced  that  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  ladies. 
Capt.  Jackson,  notwithstanding  Jack's  assurance  as  to  the  sleeping 
habits  of  the  fair  sex,  was  still  uneasy  on  the  point  of  pillows  ; 
but  as  Mr.  Longwood  did  not  seem  to  consider  them  necessary, 
and  as  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  obtained  them  in 
any  case,  he  finally  dismissed  the  subject  from  his  mind. 

"  Well,  then,"  he  said,  "  I  calcalate  the  best  thing  we  can  do 
is  to  get  them  stowed  below,  with  the  hatches  battened  down  ; 
and  then  we  sha'n't  have  no  uneasiness  about  them  until  morn- 
in'." 

It  having  been  intimated  to  the  ladies  that  the  captain  thought 
it  about  time  for  them  to  retire,  they  shortly  afterward  gathered 
themselves  together,  and  made  their  way  below,  where  sleep  soon 
closed  their  tired  eyes,  and  quieted  their  busy  tongues. 


438  THE  BO1  SUN  DRILLS  HIS  MEN. 

The  boys,  being  thus  left  to  themselves,  hung  about  for  a 
time  ;  but  it  was  very  dull,  and  the  fresh  wind  had  made  them 
drowsy,  so  they  shortly  voted  that  they,  too,  would  turn  in. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  men  !  "  said  Jack,  who,  in  virtue  of  his 
self-assumed  office,  considered  himself  entitled  to  take  a  lofty 
position  ;  "  this  going  to  bed  must  be  done  in  ship-shape  style. 
No  slinking  out  of  your  clothes  like  landlubbers.  Pay  attention 
now  to  your  bo'sun." 

The  place  they  were  in  was  the  waist  of  the  schooner.  In 
ordinary  times  it  would  have  been  full  of  cargo.  Now,  as  "  The 
Mavis "  was  on  a  pleasure-trip,  and  was  empty,  Thomas  John 
and  the  crew  had  hung  up  their  hammocks  here,  in  place  of  the 
forecastle.  In  these  hammocks  the  boys  were  to  sleep.  The 
place  was  dimly  lighted  by  one  swaying  lamp,  that  made  the 
darkness  seem  only  more  dark,  and  brought  out  the  shadows 
cast  by  the  swinging  hammocks  as  they  moved  back  and  forth 
in  answer  to  the  vessel's  motion.  "  The  Mavis's "  last  voyage 
had  been  from  the  West  Indies,  and  there  was  a  strong  smell 
of  molasses  and  sugar  ;  but  the  boys  did  not  seem  to  mind. 

Each  hammock  had  in  it  a  thick  rug ;  and  the  boys  were 
about  to  select  their  resting-places  for  the  night,  when  Jack  thus 
summarily  called  them  to  order  :  — 

"  Now,  then,"  he  said,  "  look  sharp.  Fall  into  line  there, 
and  mind  your  eye  ;  or  I'll  have  your  grog  stopped  !  " 

This  threat  was  so  dreadful,  that  the  four  at  once  fell  in,  and 
meekly  awaited  orders. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bo'sun,  "  one  blast  on  the  whistle  means 
unbutton  ;  two  blasts  close  together,  off  with  coats  and  vests ;. 
three,  off  with  shoes." 


THE  BO'SUN  LOSES  HIS   WHISTLE.  439 

"  Please,  mister  bo'sun,"  said  Ned,  "  what  are  we  to  do  with 
them  ?  "  . 

"  Roll  'em  up,  and  use  them  for  pillows,"  said  the  bo'sun. 
"  Now,  then  "  — 

The  blasts  from  the  whistle  came  sharp  and  fast ;  and,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  all  stood  unrobed. 

"  Now,"  said  the  bo'sun,  "  take  your  stand  by  your  ham 
mocks.  One  blast  of  whistle  means,  Haul  down  the  main- 
sheet  "  — 

"  The  main-sheet  is  up  on  deck,"  said  Charlie. 

"  The  main-sheet  here  is  the  rug  you  are  to  sleep  under," 
said  the  bo'sun,  with  decision.  "  Two  blasts  mean,  in  with  you. 
Now,  then  !  " 

One  blast  came,  and  each  rug  was  hauled  down  ;  two,  and 
each  boy  leaped  into  his  hammock.  There  was  a  moment's 
silence,  and  then  a  crash.  The  bo'sun  had  leaped  too  far, 
overshot  his  mark,  and  come  headlong  to  the  floor.  The  others, 
as  they  turned  cautiously,  to  prevent  following  his  example,  saw 
their  bo'sun,  lately  so  full  of  dignity,  dancing  around  on  one 
foot,  with  his  thumb  in  his  mouth,  while  he  gave  utterance  ta 
these  unofficer-like  words  :  — 

"  Oh,  Jiminy,  doesn't  it  hurt !    and  I've  lost  my  whistle." 


CHAPTER    XII. 


THE  untiring  sun,  when 
again  it  looked  down  on 
Fort  Pond  Bay,  saw  "  The 
Mavis "  lying  there  as  idly 
as  if  it  had  not  stirred  from 
the  position  in  which  it  was 
twenty-four  hours  before. 
And  there  were  as  few 
signs  of  life  about  it  now 
as  then.  But  presently  the 
five  boys  emerged  together 
from  their  quarters. 

"  Well,  I  must  say,"  said 
one,  "  that  sleeping  in  a  vessel  that  has  carried  a  cargo  of  sugar 
is  not  my  idea  of  a  good  time.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  dipped 
head  first  into  a  cask  of  molasses.  Let  me  draw  a  few  breaths 
of  clear  air." 

"  I  say,  bo'sun,"  said  Ned,  "  how  was  it  that,  after  putting 
us  to  bed  in  so  ship-shape  a  fashion,  you  let  us  get  up  and 
dress  like  land-lubbers  ?  Where  is  the  whistle  ?  " 


440 


TOM  PRESCRIBES  FOR  JACK.  44 1 

"  It  rolled  off  somewhere  when  I  fell,"  said  Jack  ;  "  and  my 
thumb  hurt  me  so  much  that  I  didn't  care,  then,  whether  I  found 
it  or  not." 

"  Let's  see  your  thumb,"  said  Will.  "  Why !  "  he  went  on,  as 
Jack,  unrolling-  his  handkerchief,  showed  a  swollen  and  discolored 
hand  ;  "  you  never  said  you'd  hurt  yourself  like  that.  You 
should  have  told  us.  I  thought  it  was  only  a  thump  on  the 
floor  that  was  the  trouble.  This  must  have  given  a  good  deal 
of  pain.  Why  didn't  you  speak  ?  " 

"  It  did  keep  me  awake  a  good  deal,"  said  Jack ;  "  but  I 
didn't  see  how  making  a  fuss  would  help  matters." 

"  Well,  you're  a  plucky  little  beggar,  any  way,"  said  Tom ; 
"  but  I  think  that  hand  ought  to  have  some  Pond's  Extract  on 
at  once.  There's  a  bottle  in  my  satchel.  I'll  get  it." 

So  presently  Jack's  hand  was  bound  up  in  a  wet  handker 
chief,  while  another  handkerchief  was  tied  neatly  over  all  ;  and, 
just  as  it  was  finished,  the  cook  announced  that  he  had  some 
coffee  ready  on  his  stove. 

It  had  been  decided  the  day  before  that  the  boys  should  get 
up  early,  and  walk  across  to  House  No.  2.  Here  they  should 
give  notice  that  the  rest  of  the  party  would  arrive  to  a  late 
breakfast,  and  should  despatch  the  sail-boat  to  bring  them  down. 
Accordingly,  when  each  had  fortified  himself  with  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  a  piece  of  hard-tack,  Thomas  John  put  them  ashore,  and 
they  set  out. 

First,  however,  they  all  climbed  the  little  slope  or  bluff,  and 
looked  about  them.  "  If  one  had  only  the  magic  power  of  some 
of  the  old  wizards,"  said  Thomas  John,  "  what  a  wonderful  place 


442  A   RESURRECTION  OF  INDIANS. 

this  would  be  to  exhibit  it !  One  moment  there  would  be  these 
great  desolate  moors,  with  only  the  sea-birds  flying  over  them. 
A  stamp  of  the  wizard's  foot,  and  the  hundred  thousand  warriors 
buried  here  would  spring  to  life,  each  with  bow  and  tomahawk 
in  hand.  That  would  be  a  sight  worth  seeing." 

"  Are  there  so  many  buried  here  as  that  ?  "  asked  the  boys. 

"  Yes,"  said  Thomas  John.  "  Some  say,  many  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand.  This  was  the  chosen  ground  for  all  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  east  end  of  Long  Island.  The  dead  were 
brought  here  from  a  distance,  some  in  great  state.  One  chief 
was  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  his  principal  men,  while  the 
whole  tribe  followed  as  mourners.  That  was  Pogattacutt,  sachem 
of  Manhansackahaqushuwamock." 

"  Say  it  again,"  said  Jack. 

"  It  is  too  much  work,"  said  Thomas  John,  laughing.  "  I 
would  rather  give  it  its  English  name  of  Shelter  Island." 

It  was  a  very  languid  party  that  sat  about  the  table  after 
breakfast  was  over,  and  the  dishes  removed.  "  What  shall  we  do 
to-day  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Do  !  "  echoed  the  girls.  "  Let's  do  nothing.  We  have 
hardly  had  a  quiet  moment  for  four  days.  Our  bones  fairly  ache. 
Let's  sit  around,  and  take  naps." 

The  boys  laughed,  and  affected  to  think  the  girls  very  weak, 
and  easily  tired  out ;  but,  in  point  of  fact,  I  fancy  that  they 
themselves  were  not  sorry  to  be  idle.  For,  when  the  cattle- 
keeper  went  into  the  barn  at  noon  to  give  his  horses  a  bite,  he 
found  three  of  them  stretched  out  on  the  floor,  with  their  heads 
on  their  arms,  fast  asleep. 


FOR  SHAME,    WILLIAM  AND   CAROLINE!  443 

By  dinner-time,  however,  they  had  all  pulled  themselves  to 
gether  ;  and  a  suggestion  from  Mr.  Longwood,  that  they  should 
get  into  the  big  wagon,  and  drive  over  the  moors,  was  received 
with  decided  interest.  Will  and  Carrie,  however,  did  not  join  in 
the  expressions  of  satisfaction  at  the  plan. 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  Will,  "  that  Carrie  and  I  had  formed  a 
scheme  for  a  little  ride  on  our  own  account ;  so  that  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  join  you." 

"Upon  my  word!"  said  Jack;  "that's  cool.  What  in  the 
world  are  you  two  up  to,  anyway  ?  It's  some  fun,  I  know. 
What  a  shame,  not  to  let  us  all  in !  Tell  us  about  it." 

The  others  joined  in  demanding  to  know  what  their  plan 
was  ;  but  Will  and  Carrie  were  silent.  Not  a  bit  of  information 
was  to  be  had  from  them. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Tom,  "  since  nothing  can  prevent  these 
two  young  madcaps  from  going  off  by  themselves,  what  time 
shall  the  rest  of  us  start  ? " 

"  I  would  go  pretty  early,  if  I  were  you,"  said  Carrie.  "  It 
grows  quite  cold  toward  evening  now." 

"  Oho  !  "  exclaimed  they  all.  "  One  thought  for  us,  and  two 
for  yourself.  We'll  wait  until  quite  late,  and  have  you  set  out 
first ;  and  then  we'll  follow  you,  and  find  out  your  little  game." 

But,  in  spite  of  this  malevolent  determination,  the  big  wagon 
drove  away  that  afternoon,  leaving  Will  and  Carrie  alone  on  the 
doorstep. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Will,  as  the  horses  started.  "  Come  along: 
I  thought  they  would  never  go.  We  must  be  off." 

And    now    I    will    explain    to   you    their   plan.       It   was    this ; 


444  FEATHERS  FOR  A   HAT. 

Carrie  had  noticed  flying  over  the  moors  some  birds  with  beauti 
ful  wings;  and  she  had  cried  out  to  Will,  who  was  with  her  at 
the  time,  "  What  lovely  wings !  Wouldn't  they  be  perfectly 
beautiful  on  a  hat  ? "  Will  had  thereupon  assured  her  that  she 
should  have  one  ;  and  this  afternoon  they  were  to  secure  it. 
They  had  borrowed  of  the  cattle-keeper  his  double-barrelled  gun, 
and  they  had  hired  his  horse  and  old  box-wagon  ;  and  this 
turnout  was  now  harnessed,  and  waiting  for  them  at  the  barn. 

They  hurried  out,  and  scrambled  in.  Will  set  the  loaded  gun 
carefully  between  his  knees,  and,  drawing  up  the  reins,  said, 
"  Get  up  !  " 

"  Had  you  not  better  let  me  drive,"  said  Carrie,  "  and  you 
manage  the  gun  ?  " 

"Oh!  I  don't  think  I  shall  have  any  trouble,"  said  Will. 
"  The  horse  seems  very  gentle.  Which  way  shall  we  go  ?  " 

"  Anywhere,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  only,  don't  let's  follow  the  road, 
but  drive  right  across  the  downs." 

So,  off  they  set.  The  cattle-keeper's  dog,  at  sight  of  the 
gun,  seemed  to  consider  himself  invited,  and  ran  along  by  their 
side,  plunging  into  the  reedy  ponds,  and  startling  the  wild  fowl 
that  were  idling  away  the  sunny  hours,  and  wondering  much,  in 
his  own  canine  fashion,  that  none  of  the  many  birds  that  he 
started  up  were  considered  worth  shooting.  Such  a  sportsman 
he  had  never  known  before.  But  these  young  people  had  one 
kind  of  game  in  their  minds,  and  were  not  to  be  diverted  from 
their  intention  by  any  other. 

They  jogged  on  for  perhaps  an  hour.  They  were  having  a 
very  good  time,  but  not  a  sign  of  the  wished-for  bird  had  been 
seen. 


THE  CATTLE- KEEPER'S   DOG. 


A   REGULAR    WORN-OUT  BEAST.  447 

. 


"  What  a  regular  old  worn-out  beast  this  is  !  "  said  Will.  "  I 
haven't  been  able  to  get  him  off  a  jog-trot  once.  I  don't  believe 
he  could  hurry,  to  save  his  life.  Hallo  !  there's  a  bird  !  Whoa !  " 

The  horse  stopped  short.  Will  dropped  the  reins,  raised  the 
gun,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  Bang !  went  the  gun.  The  next 
minute  he  and  Carrie  thought  that  there  must  have  been  a  con 
vulsion  of  nature.  They  felt  themselves  flying  backward  through 
space,  and  in  their  flight  were  conscious  of  another  bang,  as  the 
other  barrel  of  the  gun  went  off  wildly  in  the  air.  Then  they 
came  down  at  full  length  on  the  soft  turf,  and,  picking  them 
selves  up  in  a  dazed  way,  found  presently  that  they  were  sound 
of  wind  and  limb. 

But  across  the  moors,  a  full  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  they  saw 
the  old  worn-out  horse,  whom  nothing  could  persuade  to  go  off 
a  slow  trot,  tearing  madly  toward  home,  the  old  wagon  rattling 
along  at  his  heels  in  the  wildest  fashion. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"  Well,"  said  Will,  "  as  nearly  as  I  can  judge,  I  should  sa^ 
that  the  horse  sprang  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  and  that  the 
seat,  being  only  set  in,  instead  of  fastened  in,  tipped  backward, 
and  it  and  we  both  went  out  the  back  of  the  wagon.  At  all 
events,  we  seem  to  be  here;  and  the  wagon,  I  should  judge, 
must  be  nearly  home  by  this  time." 

"  How  fortunate  that  the  other  barrel  did  not  hit  us  !  "  said 
Carrie.  "  I  wonder  if  you  killed  the  bird." 

"  Yes,"  said  Will,  after  looking  about  a  little.     "  Here  he    is." 

"  Oh  !  what  a  beauty  !  "  exclaimed  Carrie.  "  But  here  come 
all  the  rest  of  our  party.  What  shall  we  say  to  them  ?  " 


448  A   HORSE   THAT  JUMPS  AT  A    GUN. 

"  Don't  tell  them  how  it  happened,  for  any  thing,"  said  Will. 
"  Leave  it  to  me." 

Just  at  that  moment,  the  big  wagon,  which  had  suddenly 
come  in  sight  over  a  ridge,  drew  up  beside  them. 

"  Your  coming  is  very  fortunate,"  said  Will,  speaking  at  once, 
to  forestall  the  host  of  inquiries  that  he  saw  were  ready  to  be 
rained  down  upon  them.  "  We  got  out  of  our  wagon,  and  the 
horse  took  that  occasion  to  go  off  home,  without  waiting  for  us." 

"  I  see,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  ironically.  "  You  must  have 
devised  a  new  way  of  getting  out ;  for  I  notice  that  you  took 
the  seat  with  you.  And  Carrie  has  a  long  green  grass-stain  on 
her  shoulder.  However,  as  you  seem  sound  in  body,  both  of 
you,  we  won't  ask  any  embarrassing  questions.  Stow  away  that 
seat  behind,  and  hop  on.  What  a  beautiful  bird  you  have,. 
Carrie  !  " 

"  I  can  tell  you  how  it  happened,"  said  their  driver  confiden 
tially  and  in  a  low  tone,  to  Jack,  who  sat  behind  them.  "  That 
hoss  they  had  always  jumps  at  a  gun.  They  was  spilled  out." 

"  Oh,  ho  !  "  said  Jack.  "  They  needn't  think  they're  going  to 
get  off  so  easily.  Hear  Will  talking  about  the  color  of  the 
ocean,  to  turn  the  conversation  !  —  Wait  a  bit,  my  lad.  You'll 
get  it  presently.  —  But  I  should  think,"  he  said  to  the  driver, 
"  that  a  horse  down  here  would  get  used  to  the  sound  of  a 
gun." 

"  Some  hosses  never  do,"  said  the  man.  "  My  father  had  an 
old  mare  that  used  to  get  frightened  out  of  her  wits  at  the 
sound.  Men  were  around  the  field  where  she  was,  off  and  on, 
half  the  time,  shootin'  game.  By  and  by,  she  seemed  to  kind 


NED  AND  JACK  INTERROGATE   WILL.  449 

of  put  two  and  two  together ;  and,  if  a  plover  came  down  in 
the  field  where  she  was,  she'd  take  to  her  heels  in  no  time,  just 
the  same  as  if  'twas  a  gun." 

Jack,  as  soon  as  they  reached  home,  made  haste  to  communi 
cate  to  Ned  what  the  driver  had  told  him  as  to  the  probable 
cause  of  Will  and  Carrie's  being  found  on  the  open  heath  alone. 
These  two  young  scapegraces  proposed  a  series  of  such  apt 
questions  during  supper,  to  the  two  discomfited  bird-hunters, 
that  they  fully  believed  that  their  whole  performance  had  been 
seen.  And  it  was  a  happy  release  for  them  when  the  pushing- 
back  of  chairs  announced  that  the  meal  was  over,  and  that  they 
could  escape  from  their  tormentors. 

"  This  is  the  last  night  of  our  trip  when  we  shall  be  all 
together,"  said  Jack  ,-  "  and  we  must  have  one  more  story.  And 
it  must  be  a  regular  jolly  one  ;  an  Indian  story,  I  think." 

"  O  Jack  !  "  said  Gertrude.  "  Let's  have  a  nice  quiet  one, 
that  a  body  can  sleep  after." 

"  Gertrude,"  said  Jack  briefly  and  authoritatively,  "  I  am 
ashamed  of  you.  It  is  very  rude,  when  Mr.  Longwood  offers  to 
tell  us  an  Indian  story,  for  you  to  object." 

So  Gertrude,  finding  that  no  one  would  take  her  part,  meekly 
subsided,  and  Mr.  Longwood  began :  — 

"  If  you  want  an  Indian  story,"  he  said,  "  I  can  tell  you  a 
little  bit  of  history,  the  scene  of  which  was  around  about  New 
London,  where  we  were  yesterday,  In  the  early  days  of  the 
country  a  savage  tribe,  the  Pequots,  lived  there,  and  the  harbor 
was  known  as  Pequot  Harbor.  At  the  time  I  am  about  to  tell 
you  of,  this  tribe  had  become  most  troublesome.  They  had  fallen 


45° 


TWO   CAPTAINS  ARE  KILLED. 


upon  two  captains,  who  had  ventured  up  the  Connecticut  to 
trade,  and,  taking  them  unexpectedly,  had  killed  them  and  their 
entire  crews.  Off  Block  Island,  too,  they  had  murdered  Capt. 
Oldham.  The  colonists  were  alarmed.  Something  must  be  done, 
or  they  would  be  all  slaughtered.  No  man's  life  would  be  safe 

for  a  minute,  un 
less  the  Indians 
were  taught  some 
severe  lesson. 
So  an  expedition 
was  sent  out 
from  Massachu- 
setts,  which 
sailed  along  the 
coast,  and  burned 
a  few  wigwams, 
and  destroyed  a 
little  corn,  but 
succeeded  in  do 
ing  nothing  more 
than  arousing  the 
savages  to  a  pitch 
of  fury. 

" As    soon 
as  the  backs   of 

their  invaders  were  turned,  they  fell  upon  all  the  settlers  on  the 
Connecticut.  Their  pow-wows,  or  medicine-men,  assured  them 
that  they  should  soon  drive  out  every  Englishman  from  the  land. 


INDIAN   TOW-WOWS. 


THE  FATE   OF  TILLY. 


451 


A  sorry  time  the  poor  wretches  had  of  it.  They  had  prayed  for 
a  force  that  should  teach  the  red  men  a  lesson  of  the  white 
man's  strength.  Instead,  their  troubles  had  been  only  increased. 
'  You,'  said  one  of  these  settlers  derisively  to  the  commander 
of  this  fiasco,  '  will  keep  yourselves  safe  in  the  bay,  but  myself 
you  will  leave  at  the  stake  to  be  roasted.' 


TILLY   SURPRISED   BY  THE   INDIANS. 


"  Sorry  times  followed.  Not  a  day  passed  without  some  one 
falling  a  victim.  Many  were  the  hairbreadth  escapes.  No  man 
went  to  the*  field  without  having  his  rifle  within  reach.  The 
settlers  fought  desperately ;  for  it  was  better  to  be  killed  outright 
than  made  prisoner,  for  the  captives  were  tortured  frightfully. 
One  Tilly,  for  instance,  was  taken  when  he  was  out  in  a  canoe, 


452  THE  SAVAGES  ARE  HAPPY. 

hunting.  He  made  a  hard  fight  for  liberty,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
Determined  that  they  should  not  make  him  wince  at  any  pain 
they  might  inflict,  he  sat  grimly,  without  moving  a  muscle,  while 
they  cut  off  his  hands,  and  then  his  feet,  and  so  killed  him  by 
inches. 

"  Of  course  this  state  of  things  could  not  continue.  Those 
who  were  not  killed  outright  would  soon  have  to  fight  '  Capt. 
Hunger  ; '  for  no  fields  could  be  tilled,  and  the  cattle  were  slain 
by  the  hundred.  So  an  expedition  set  out  from  Connecticut,  an 
army  of  ninety  men,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  John  Mason. 
Their  orders  were  to  sail  along  the  coast  until  they  came  to 
Pequot  Harbor.  There  they  were  to  make  a  landing,  and  attack 
the  foe.  Capt.  Mason  did  not  like  this  plan  at  all.  The  Pequots 
would  know  of  their  coming,  and  could  watch  every  movement 
they  made.  He  proposed  that  they  should  sail  by  the  harbor, 
on  to  Narragansett  Bay,  and  by  forced  marches  reach  their  forts, 
and  attack  them,  as  it  were,  in  the  rear. 

"  The  other  officers  of  the  fleet  disagreed  with  their  captain. 
They  thought  they  had  much  better  follow  their  instructions.  In 
this  juncture  the  chaplain  of  the  fleet  was  summoned,  and  bade 
to  spend  the  night  in  prayer,  that  they  might  decide  wisely.  He 
did  so,  and  in  the  morning  reported  in  favor  of  Capt.  Mason's 
plan. 

"  So  the  fleet  sailed  past  Pequot  Harbor,  and  the  watching 
savages  saw  it  depart  with  joy.  Once  again  their  prowess  had 
frightened  away  their  foe,  and  they  returned  to  carouse  and 
dance  in  triumph  in  their  villages. 

"  Meantime    Mason  was   sailing   onward.     Uncas,  chief  of  the 


BUT  THEIR  JOY  SOON  TURNS   TO  GRIEF. 


453 


A    RACE   FOR   LIFE. 


Mohegans,  had  joined  him  with  a  band  of  warriors  eager  to  fight 


454  UNCAS  TAKES  THE    WAR-PATH. 

against  their  old  enemies.  They  landed  in  the  country  of  the 
Narragansetts,  and  marched  at  once  to  their  chief  fort,  where 
they  stated  the  business  on  which  they  had  come.  The  Narra 
gansetts,  while  they  highly  approved  of  the  plan  of  the  whites, 
doubted  much  if  so  small  a  party  could  stand  for  a  moment 
against  such  terrible  fighters  as  the  Pequots.  However,  they 
said  they  would  go  along,  and  take  a  hand  in  the  fray. 

"  The  next  day  the  little  army,  with  its  following  of  Mohegans 
and  Narragansetts,  marched  twenty  miles  to  a  place  called  Nyan- 
tick,  where  lived  Ninigret,  another  Narragansett  sachem." 

"  Why,  that  is  the  name  of  the  man  who  made  things  so  hot 
for  the  Montauks,  as  Capt.  Jackson  said,"  exclaimed  Jack. 

"  It  is  the  same  fellow,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He  was  a 
great  nuisance  to  the  English  for  many  years.  Capt.  Mason 
found  him  so  surly,  that  he  distrusted  him  at  once,  and  suspected 
that  he  intended  sending  word  to  the  enemy  of  his  approach. 
That  night  he  stationed  guards  about  his  fort,  and  gave  him 
notice  that  any  of  his  men  who  left  it,  did  it  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives." 

"  That  was  a  high-handed  proceeding,  at  all  events,"  said 
Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  it  seems  to  us,  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  the  height  of  effrontery ;  but  Capt.  Mason  was  not 
one  to  stop  at  any  obstacle,  after  he  had  gone  through  so  much. 
And  the  morning  showed  that  he  did  wisely ;  for  many  of  the 
warriors  then  announced  their  intention  of  joining  him,  and  they 
danced  a  war-dance  before  starting,  with  great  vigor  and  zest 

"  At   last   the    Pequot   country  was    reached.     Their  great    lort 


SEVEN  HUNDRED    WARRIORS.  455 

was  close  at  hand.  It  was  strongly  stockaded,  and  in  it  were 
some  seven  hundred  warriors,  with  their  wives  and  children.  The 
invaders  as,  close  at  hand,  they  nearly  held  their  breaths  for  fear 
of  discovery,  could  hear  them  chanting  of  their  prowess,  and  of 
the  English  scalps  they  had  taken. 

"  All  night  long  they  waited,  till  the  gray  dawn  came.  The 
noisy  Pequots  were  now  deep  in  sleep.  Mason  summoned  his 
Indian  allies,  but  they  were  not  to  be  found.  The  nearness  of 
the  dreaded  Pequots  had  filled  them  with  terror.  He  sent  them 
word  to  look  on,  and  see  how  Englishmen  could  fight. 

"  The  fort  had  an  entrance  at  either  end.  The  invaders 
divided  their  force,  and  made  their  way  in.  The  enclosure  was 
full  of  wigwams,  behind  which  the  suddenly-roused  warriors 
took  refuge,  pouring  in  a  shower  of  arrows  on  their  foe.  Seeing 
that  this  would  soon  prove  a  losing  game,  Mason  caught  up  a 
firebrand,  and,  thrusting  it  into  the  mats  and  straw  which  lay 
about,  cried  out  to  burn  them  out.  The  light  wind  fanned  the 
flames,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  whole  fort  was  in  a  blaze. 
The  English  made  their  way  out,  and,  forming  a  circle  about  it, 
cut  down  every  soul  that  attempted  to  escape.  If,  perchance,, 
one  more  fortunate  than  the  rest  passed  them,  he  fell  before 
the  tomahawks  of  the  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts,  whose  cour 
age  had  somewhat  returned,  and  who  hung  on  the  outskirts,, 
cutting  down  every  flying  survivor. 

"  The  Indians  had  at  last  received  a  lesson.  Ninety  men  had 
put  to  the  sword  nearly  seven  hundred  of  their  greatest  warriors. 
The  power  of  the  Pequots  was  broken  forever. 

"  The  position  of  the  victors,  though,  was  by  no  means  pleas- 


456  JACK  IS  BLOODTHIRSTILY  INCLINED. 

ant.  They  were  miles  inland  ;  many  were  wounded.  They  had 
almost  no  provisions;  and  another  body  of  Pequot  warriors,  some 
three  hundred  in  number,  who  had  been  at  another  fort,  learning 
the  fate  of  their  brethren,  followed  them,  mad  with  rage.  Vic 
tors  though  they  were,  it  was  a  joyful  moment  when  from  a 
hilltop  they  saw  New  London  Harbor  in  the  distance,  with  their 
ships,  that  they  had  ordered  to  meet  them  there,  awaiting  them." 

"  It's  a  pity  they  didn't  go  back,  and  wipe  out  those  other 
three  hundred  Pequots,  when  they  had  their  hand  in,"  said  Jack 
bloodthirstily. 

"  These  poor  wretches  met  their  end  soon  enough,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "Another  expedition  destroyed  many;  and  the  Mo- 
hegans  and  Narragansetts,  now  grown  bold,  hunted  them  up  and 
down  the  country,  till  the  miserable  remnant  came  to  the  English, 
and  besought  protection.  Make  them  but  secure  of  their  lives, 
and  they  asked  no  more.  To  such  desperation  had  they  come." 

"  And  what  oecame  of  them  ? "  asked  Jack. 

"  They  were  divided  up.  Uncas,  the  sachem  of  the  Mohe- 
gans,  took  a  hundred ;  Miantonimoh,  sachem  of  the  Narragan 
setts,  took  eighty ;  and  your  old  friend  Ninigret  was  given  twenty. 
He  had,  however,  as  usual,  been  making  trouble;  and  he  was  not 
allowed  to  have  his  men  until  he  had  made  satisfaction  for  the 
mare  of  one  Pomeroye,  which  he  or  his  men  had  killed." 

"  What  did  they  do  with  them  ? "  asked  Ned.  "  Put  them  to 
death  ? " 

"  Oh,  no  !  they  adopted  them  into  their  tribe.  They  ceased 
to  be  Pequots,  and  became  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts,  —  though 
I  do  not  imagine  that  they  had  the  foremost  seats  in  the  council, 
nor,  indeed,  that  life  was  made  very  sweet  to  them." 


DEAD  MEN  TELL  NO   TALES.  459 

"  Go  on,"  said  Jack,  as  Mr.  Longwood  paused. 

"  Why,  I  think  I  have  made  a  pretty  thorough  ending  of  the 
Pequots,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  Yes,"  said  Jack  ;  "  but  of  course  the  Mohegans  and  Narra- 
gansetts  fought." 

"  They  did,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  When  the  Pequots 
-  were  out  of  the  way,  Miantonimoh  aspired  to  be  the  sachem  of 
all  the  tribes  about.  There  was  but  one  obstacle  to  his  plans, 
and  that  was  Uncas.  He  had  made  a  formal  treaty  of  friendship 
with  him,  after  the  fall  of  their  common  enemy.  But  this  he 
treacherously  ignored.  He  hired  one  of  Uncas's  captive  Pequots 
to  shoot  him.  The  man,  watching  his  chance:  fired,  and  shot 
him  through  the  arm.  Then,  making  his  way  to  the  Narragan- 
setts,  he  boasted  that  he  had  killed  his  chief. 

"  Presently,  however,  Uncas  turned  up  as  well  as  ever.  This 
was  unexpected.  Miantonimoh,  finding  that  his  doings  were 
somewhat  known,  quietly  knocked  the  Pequot  on  the  head,  on 
the  principle  that  dead  men  tell  no  tales.  It  was  too  late,  how 
ever  :  his  treachery  was  evident. 

"  Presently  he  made  another  attempt.  As  Uncas  was  going 
down  the  Connecticut,  Miantonimoh  tried  to  shoot  him.  This 
attempt,  too,  failed,  as  the  first  had  done. 

"  Then  he  raised  an  army  of  a  thousand  warriors,  and  made 
all  his  plans  to  fall  upon  his  enemy  when  he  did  not  expect 
him.  Uncas  had  warning  from  his  scouts,  not  a  moment  too 
soon.  He  summoned  half  a  thousand  of  his  bravest  men,  all 
that  he  could  gather  in  that  short  time,  and  marched  forward  to 
meet  his  foe.  There  is  a  good  account  of  this  battle  by  an  old 
historian,  which  is  something  like  this  :  — 


460  A   PAGE   OF  HISTORY. 


1  "  '  When  they  had  advanced  within  fair  bow-shot  of  each  other,  Uncas  had 
recourse  to  a  stratagem  with  which  he  had  previously  acquainted  his  warriors.  He 
desired  a  parley ;  and  both  armies  halted  in  the  face  of  each  other.  Uncas,  gal 
lantly  advancing  in  front  of  his  men,  addressed  Miantonimoh  to  this  effect :  "  You 
have  a  number  of  stout  men  with  you,  and  so  have  I  with  me.  It  is  a  great  pity 
that  such  brave  warriors  should  be  killed  in  a  private  quarrel  between  us  only. 
Come,  like  a  man  as  you  profess  to  be,  and  let  us  fight  it  out.  If  you  kill  me, 
my  men  shall  be  yours  ;  but  if  I  kill  you,  your  men  shall  be  mine." 

" '  Miantonimoh  replied :  "  My  men  came  to  fight :  and  they  shall  fight." 
Uncas  falling  instantly  upon  the  ground,  his  men  discharged  a  shower  of  arrows 
upon  the  Narragansetts,  and,  without  a  moment's  interval,  rushing  upon  them  in  a 
furious  manner,  with  their  hideous  Indian  yell,  put  them  immediately  to  flight. 
The  Mohegans  pursued  the  enemy  with  the  same  fury  and  eagerness  with  which 
they  commenced  the  action.  The  Narragansetts  were  driven  down  rocks  and 
precipices,  and  chased  like  a  doe  by  the  huntsman.  Among  others,  Miantonimoh 
was  exceedingly  pressed.  Some  of  Uncas's  bravest  men,  who  were  most  light  of 
foot,  coming  up  with  him,  twitched  him  back,  impeding  his  flight,  and  passed  him, 
that  Uncas  might  take  him. 

" '  Uncas  was  a  stout  man,  and,  reaching  forward  like  a  lion  greedy  of  his 
prey,  seized  him  by  his  shoulder.  He  knew  Uncas,  and  saw  that  he  was  now  in 
the  power  of  the  man  whom  he  had  hated  and  by  all  means  attempted  to  destroy ; 
but  he  sat  down  sullen,  and  spoke  not  a  word.  Uncas  gave  the  Indian  whoop, 
and  called  up  his  men  who  were  behind,  to  his  assistance.  The  victory  was  com 
plete.  About  thirty  of  the  Narragansetts  were  slain,  and  many  more  wounded. 

"  '  Miantonimoh  made  no  request,  either  for  himself  or  his  men,  but  continued 
in  the  same  sullen,  speechless  mood.  Uncas  therefore  demanded  of  him  why  he 
would  not  speak.  Said  he,  "  Had  you  taken  me,  I  should  have  besought  you  for 
my  life."  '  " 

"  And  now  I  suppose,"  said  Jack,  "  that  he  lopped  off  his 
head." 

1  We  are  again  indebted  to  Tom  Longwood,  who  has  copied  the  extract  for  us  from  the 
book  in  his  father's  library,  so  that  we  can  give  it  as  it  was  written. 


DEATH   OF     MIANXONTMOH. 


UNCAS  KILLS  HIS  ENEMY.  463 

"  You  are  in  rather  too  much  of  a  hurry,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  He  did  not  quite  dare  to  do  it  off-hand,  for  fear  that 
the  English  might  not  approve  ;  though  he  longed,  in  his  savage 
way,  for  his  death.  So  he  carried  the  speechless  sachem  to 
Hartford,  where  his  case  was  laid  before  the  authorities.  They 
decided,  in  their  solemn  way,  that  Miantonimoh  should  be  delivered 
over  to  him,  because  he  had  repeatedly  tried  to  kill  him,  and 
because  Uncas  could  never  be  safe  as  long  as  his  enemy  was 
alive. 

"  So  Uncas,  with  some  of  his  trustiest  braves,  was  summoned 
to  Hartford,  where  they  took  their  prisoner,  and  departed.  The 
authorities  knew,  of  course,  that  the  Narragansett  would  be 
killed ;  and  so  they  sent  two  white  men  along,  to  see  that  no 
tortures  were  inflicted.  In  single  file  they  strode  away.  Sud 
denly,  at  a  sign  from  his  leader,  the  man  who  was  directly 
behind  Miantonimoh,  raised  his  hatchet,  and,  at  a  single  blow, 
split  his  skull.  Without  a  groan,  he  fell  prostrate  ;  and  his  sav 
age  captor,  cutting  a  large  piece  from  his  shoulder,  ate  it, 
exclaiming  that  '  it  was  the  sweetest  meat  he  ever  ate  :  it  made 
his  heart  strong. ' 

"  What  an  old  villain  !  "  exclaimed  Gertrude.  "  Jack,  how  can 
you  want  to  hear  such  awful  stories  ?  " 

"  I  think  they  are  splendid,"  said  Jack.  "  Go  on,  please,  Mr. 
Longwood.  I  am  sure  there  is  something  to  tell  about  Ninigret." 

"  Nothing  in  especial,  that  I  know  of,"  said  that  gentleman, 
"  except  that  he  was  a  dreadful  nuisance  all  his  days.  For  two 
seasons  the  Connecticut-  Colony  had  to  keep  an  armed  vessel 
cruising  between  Montauk  and  Block  Island,  to  prevent  his 
making  incursions  on  the  Long-Island  Indians." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


"  WELL,"  said  Tom, 
after  a  little,  as  they  sat 
about,  chatting  idly,  "  to 
morrow  we  start  for 
home.  Our  jig  is  nearly 
danced  out." 

"  That's  a  capital  idea," 
said  Ned,  starting  up. 

"  What  ?  "  said  Tom. 

"  A  jig»"  answered 
Ned.  "  Why  shouldn't 

we  all  go  out  to  the  barn, 

I' 
and  have  a  Virginia  reel  ? 

We  can  hang  up  some 
lanterns  to  light  it.  We  will  just  sit  here  stupidly,  if  we  don't, 
for  an  hour ;  and  then  you  girls  will  politely  try  to  stifle  your 
yawns,  and  go  off  to  bed." 

"  But  what  shall  we  do  for  music  ?  "  asked  the  girls. 
"  Listen,"  said  Ned,  holding  up  his  hand. 

They  all   stopped    talking,  and    at   once    the    sound    of  an    old 
fiddle  in  the  kitchen  became  audible.     It  was  squeaking  out  with 
464 


GABRIL,   COME  BLOW  DE  HORN.  465 

great  vigor,  "  Gabril,  come  blow  de  horn,"  and  involuntarily  the 
boys'  and  girls'  feet  all  began  to  beat  time  to  the  music. 

Ned  made  haste  to  secure  the  services  of  the  fiddler,  who 
was  nothing  loath  to  give  his  services  to  secure  a  little  jollifica 
tion.  The  cattle-keeper  produced  three  lanterns,  and  went  him 
self  to  hang  them  up,  so  as  to  see  that  his  barn  was  not  set 
on  fire  by  inexperienced  hands.  For  an  hour  or  two  the  old 
building  resounded  with  peals  of  merriment,  and  the  fiddle 
squeaked  almost  without  cessation.  Then,  at  the  same  moment, 
Mr.  Longwood  announced  that  they  must  turn  in  for  the  night, 
and  the  fiddler  announced  that  his  arm  had  given  out. 

"  What  a  shame  it  is  that  our  good  time  is  over !  "  said  Tom. 

"  Let  us  hope  that  it  will  rain  pitchforks  to-morrow,"  said 
Jack  ;  "  and  then  we  can't  get  away." 

"  No  hope  of  that,  I  reckon,"  said  the  cattle-keeper  morosely, 
—  he  would  have  liked  to  have  had  them  stay  on  indefinitely,  — 
"  the  wind  is  sou'- west.  We'll  have  a  fine  day,  'thout  a  doubt." 

And  so  it  turned  out ;  for  the  next  morning,  when,  after  a 
hearty  breakfast,  the  big  wagon  was  loaded  with  the  girls,  and 
the  boys  made  ready  to  tramp  across  to  "  The  Mavis,"  the  moors 
were  everywhere  glistening  with  dew,  which  the  rising  sun 
turned  into  drops  of  gold  and  fire.  The  sea  was  bluer  than  the 
sky  above  it.  The  fresh  wind  came  softly,  laden  with  odors  from 
the  moorlands,  —  odors  which  it  would  carry  many  a  mile  out  to 
sea,  to  gladden  the  incoming  mariner,  —  Nature's  cry  of  "  Land 
ho!" 

The  ist  of  October  had  arrived.     The  hands  of  the   clock  in 


466  HOW  DO   YOU  DO,  FELLOWS? 

the  steeple  of  the  church  close  by  pointed  to  five  minutes  of 
nine.  Around  the  door  of  Mr.  Grinder's  select  school,  at  No. 
2,000  Madison  Avenue,  stood  a  large  group  of  boys,  busily 
talking.  Nearly  all  of  them  were  tanned  from  the  sun,  though 
here  and  there  a  white  face  told  of  a  summer  in  the  hot  city. 
But  five  were  especially  brown.  They  looked  almost  copper- 
colored.  They  were  the  centre  of  an  admiring  group,  who  were 
plying  them  with  questions,  and  regarding  them  with  '  envious 
eyes. 

"  Well,  fellows,"  said  Will,  "  the  clock  has  almost  reached  the 
hour.  We  had  better  go  up  and  say  '  How  do  you  do  ?  '  to  our 
revered  instructor.  Come  on." 

So  the  whole  group  broke  up,  and  tramped  noisily  up  the 
winding  stairs. 

The  room  was  a  large  one.  In  the  centre,  against  the  wall, 
was  Mr.  Grinder's  desk,  and  beside  it,  on  either  hand,  were  two 
long  benches  on  which  the  classes  sat  to  recite.  All  the  rest  of 
the  room  was  filled  with  rows  of  desks. 

The  boys  walked  toward  Mr.  Grinder.  He  was  at  that  mo 
ment  listening  to  a  pale-faced,  lantern-jawed  young  man,  whom 
they  heard  say,  "  Yes,  sir :  I  have  translated  twenty  pages  of 
Sallust,  and  I  have  made  corresponding  progress  in  my  other 
studies." 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure,  Master  Jones,"  Mr.  Grinder 
replied,  "  to  hear  of  such  commendable  assiduity  in  study.  A 
like  energy  shown  in  the  affairs  of  after-life  will  be  sure  to 
secure  you  a  position  of  mark.  Here  are  some  of  your  class 
mates.  I  hope  we  may  hear  an  equally  good  report  from  them. 


MULTIPLICATION  IS    VEXATION.  467 

Ah  !  Morgan  primus,  and  secimdus,  and  Longwood,  how  do  you 
do  ?  Your  classmate,  Timothy  Jones,  here,  tells  me  "  — 

But  at  this  moment  the  clock  struck  nine,  and  Mr.  Grinder 
broke  off  abruptly,  to  call  the  school  to  order,  and  the  boys 
made  haste  to  gain  their  desks  before  any  awkward  questions 
should  be  asked. 

As  soon  as  the  roll  had  been  called,  Mr.  Grinder  opened  the 
school,  as  usual,  with  prayer.  All  listened  reverently;  though  I 
must  confess  that  there  was  a  little  smile  on  more  than  one 
face,  when  he  returned  thanks  that  this  separation,  alike  painful 
to  instructor  and  scholar,  was  over. 

Then  he  called,  "  The  first  Latin." 

This  was  the  name  of  a  class.  Timothy  Jones,  the  lantern- 
jawed  boy,  came  forward  at  once.  Tom,  the  two  Morgans,  Ned 
Grant,  and  one  or  two  other  boys,  followed  more  slowly. 

"  I  presume,"  said  Mr.  Grinder,  "  that  your  parents  all  received 
the  circular  which  I  sent,  informing  them  of  the  cause  of  the 
untoward  postponement  of  the  opening  of  the  school,  and  sug 
gesting  that  you  should  make  up  the  loss  by  home  study.  I  am 
glad  to  know  that  at  least  one  of  you,  and,  I  have  no  doubt, 
all,  have  followed  my  suggestion." 

But  somehow,  as  his  glance  rested  on  the  sunburned  counte 
nances  of  our  four  friends,  his  voice  seemed  to  lose  a  little  of 
the  confident  tone  that  it  had  when  he  began. 

"  Jones,  here,"  he  went  on,  "  tells  me  that  he  has  read  twenty 
pages.  Perhaps  he  has  gone  farther  than  others  of  you.  Mor 
gan  primus,  you  may  begin  at  tne  first  paragraph  on  page  8. 
We  will  consider  this  first  recitation  somewhat  in  the  nature  of 
a  review  of  your  home  study." 


468  HASTINGS  IS  MARKED  FOR  MISCONDUCT. 

Will  opened  the  book,  and  looked  at  it  hopelessly. 

"  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  any  thing  at  my  studies  at  all. 
sir,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Grinder  looked  sober. 

"  Longwood,  you  may  try  it." 

Tom  made  haste  to  avow  his  innocence  of  any  home  study. 

Mr.  Grinder  looked  solemn. 

At  this  moment  a  half-suppressed  chuckle  was  distinctly  audi 
ble.  It  came  from  a  distant  corner  of  the  room,  where  Jack 
was  watching  with  glee  the  discomfiture  of  his  cronies. 

Mr.  Grinder  looked  up,  and  caught  him. 

"  Hastings,"  he  said  severely,  "  I  am  truly  sorry  that  you 
should  begin,  thus  early  in  the  session,  to  merit  reproof.  I  give 
you  one  mark  for  misconduct." 

Jack  subsided. 

"  How  many  of  this  class,"  said  Mr.  Grinder,  returning  to  the 
subject  in  hand,  "  have  done  any  study  whatever,  on  their  Latin  ? 
Let  them  raise  their  hands." 

Timothy  Jones's  hand  went  up.     No  other  kept  it  company. 

"  It  is  as  I  feared,"  said  Mr.  Grinder  with  great  severity. 
"  When  you  get  to  be  men,  young  gentlemen,  you  will  look 
back,  and  regret  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  these  wasted  opportuni 
ties.  To  your  desks  !  It  will  take  persistent  application  to  make 
up  for  these  two  weeks  of  idleness." 


PART  THREE. 


On  the  Edge  of  Winter. 


CHAPTER   I. 

NOVEMBER  had  come. 
Out  in  the  woodlands  the 
wild  fowl  were  ruffling  their 
feathers,  and  looking  for  the 
red  berries  of  the  black- 
alder,  if  perchance  their 
hungry  fellows  had  not  al 
ready  stripped  the  branches 
bare.  The  sharp  west  wind 
went  rushing  through  the 
naked  forests,  followed  by 
a  train  of  reluctant  leaves. 
But  these  are  sights  of 
which  the  city  lad  sees 
little  ;  for  November  is  the 
month  when  he  is  expected 
to  be  hard  at  work  at  his  books.  And  so,  on  this  particular 
morning,  in  the  main  room  of  Mr.  Grinder's  school,  there  was  a 

471 


472  "HASTINGS,  BRING  ME   THAT  NOTE" 

busy  hum  from  the  fifty  boys  who  were  bending  over  their  desks 
intent  upon  their  studies. 

In  the  farther  corner,  however,  there  was  one  boy  whose 
thoughts  were  not  upon  his  .lessons.  He  was  scribbling  away 
upon  a  piece  of  paper,  which  he  presently  folded  up,  and,  with 
a  dexterous  flip  of  his  thumb,  sent  flying  skilfully  through  the 
air  to  the  desk  of  a  lad  some  distance  away.  But,  alas  !  just  as 
it  alighted  safely,  the  eye  of  the  master  was  raised,  and  a  severe 
voice  said,  — 

"  Hastings,  bring  that  note  to  me." 

The  detected  culprit  took  the  note,  which  his  comrade  handed 
him  with  a  half  suppressed  grin,  and,  slowly  making  his  way  to 
the  master's  desk,  presented  it. 

"  You  may  take  your  stand  upon  the  platform,  .and  read  it 
aloud  to  the  school,"  said  that  gentleman  grimly. 

Hastings  was  heard  to  make  some  objections  to  this  in  a  low 
tone  ;  but  the  master  was  peremptory. 

Accordingly  the  young  man  proceeded  to  the  platform,  opened 
the  note,  and  began  to  read.  He  was  blushing  furiously;  and,  in 
his  haste  to  get  through,  he  paid  little  attention  to  his  stops,  so 
that  his  reading  was  somewhat  unintelligible.  But  the  boys  who 
were  near  heard  something  like  this :  — 

"  I  say  Will  have  you  heard  we  five  are  to  cut  school  the 
day  after  Thanksgiving  and  Monday  won't  old  Grinder  be  mad 
just  and  with  the  girls  are  going  up  to  Tom's  uncle's  on  the 
Hudson  we  are  to  go  on  the  boat  Wednesday  and  come  back 
Monday  afternoon  five  days  what  larks  and  no  old  Grinder  with 
his  everlasting  improve  your  opportunities  young  gentlemen  hip 
te  doodle  do  !  " 


HASTINGS  AS  A   PUBLIC  READER. 


473 


As  Jack  Hastings  finished,  he  looked  up  sheepishly.  To  his 
astonishment  there  was  a  twinkle  in  the  master's  eye.  "  You 
may  take  your  seat,"  he  said.  "  '  Old  Grinder '  congratulates  you 
on  the  pleasure  you  have  in  prospect." 

The  trip  which  Jack  had  thus  publicly  announced  as  in  pros 
pect,  in  due  season  grew  to  be  a  reality.  It  was  Monday  when 
he  stood  upon  the  platform,  and  read  what  the  boys  called  his 
"  open  letter."  That  day  and  Tuesday  passed  as  slowly  as  the  last 


LOADING  THE    BOAT. 


two  or  three  days  before  a  vacation  always  do  pass.  Wednesday 
came  at  last ;  and  at  three  o'clock  a  merry  and  noisy  party  stood 
on  the  deck  of  the  boat,  watching  the  hurrying  laborers  as  they 
trotted  with  loaded  trucks  up  the  rattling,  shaking  gang-plank, 
and  deposited  their  burdens  between-decks,  and  then  clattered 
back  again. 


474  THE   WHISTLE  BLOWS,   AND   THEY  ARE  OFF. 

But  after  a  time  the  freight  was  all  aboard,  the  whistle  blew, 
the  ropes  were  cast  off,  the  wheels  began  to  revolve  with  a  tre 
mendous  splashing,  and  the  boat  slowly  left  the  pier.  And  now, 
while  she  is  fairly  getting  out  into  the  stream,  I  must  give  you 
some  more  definite  information  as  to  the  plans  of  our  party. 

Mr.  Longwood,  then,  you  must  know,  had  a  brother,  whose 
home  was  on  the  farther  slopes  of  the  Hudson  Highlands.  He 
had  never  been  strong ;  and  so  he  had  bought  himself  a  farm,  on 
which  he  lived,  sheltered  by  the  hills  about  him  from  the  strong 
sea-winds.  He  was  not  much  of  a  farmer,  if  the  truth  be  told, 
but  much  more  of  a  student.  And  so  the  management  of  the 
farm  fell  to  the  lot  of  his  factotum,  Daniel  Daniels,  who,  with 
his  wife  and  children,  lived  in  one  wing  of  the  old  house,  and 
gave  due  attention  to  all  the  wants  of  the  land,  the  cattle,  and 
his  employer.  At  the  time  when  the  events  we  are  chronicling 
took  place,  this  Mr.  Longwood  was  abroad  ;  and,  in  his  absence, 
our  Mr.  Longwood,  Tom's  father,  had  supervision  of  his  farm. 
And  it  chanced  that  the  idea  had  occurred  to  him  that  Tom  and 
Carrie  should  make  up  a  party  with  their  friends,  and  eat  their 
Thanksgiving  dinner  in  the  old  farmhouse. 

The  party  had  been  made  up  without  a  moment's  hesitation, 
• — Will  and  Charlie  Morgan,  Kate  and  Rose  Waring,  Ned  and 
Lou  Grant,  and  Gertrude  and  Jack  Hastings,  —  the  same  ten 
who  had  been  together  at  Christmas,  and  had  cruised  together 
in  "  The  Mavis  "  in  August.  They  were  now  all  together  in  the 
bows,  watching  with  great  interest  the  shipping  about  them. 
Close  at  hand  a  great  ocean-steamer  lay  in  the  stream,  just  in 
port  after  the  long  voyage.  As  they  swept  by,  they  could  see- 


A   PUFF  OF  NORTH   WIND. 


475 


her  passengers  crowding  down  the  gangway  to    the    tug  that   lay 
alongside. 

Before    them,    up    the    long    course    of  the    shining  river,   the 
Palisades  stood   out    distinctly  against   the    clear  band  of  autumn 


THE   PALISADES. 


sky   along   the   horizon.     The  wind    that   came    strong   and   fresh 
out  of  the  cold  north-west  drove  before  it  sullen  masses  of  cloud ;, 


476  A   LITTLE  PIECE   OF  POETRY. 

while  here  and  there  a  little  flurry  of  snowflakes  came  fluttering 
down  from  their  dark  edges.  "It  is  just  like  a  little  piece  of 
poetry  that  I  once  learned,"  said  Gertrude. 

Across  the  autumn  sky 

The  flocks  of  cloudland  hie, 
Hurrying  in  reckless  flight  their  course  along; 

While  with  loud  voice  and  hoarse, 

Urging  them  on  their  course, 
Behind,  their  shepherd  comes,  —  the  west  wind  strong. 

Over  the  meadows  bare, 

Through  the  chill  autumn  air, 
Over  the  woodlands  turning  russet  brown, 

They  pass,  in  broken  bands, 

To  the  far  Southern  lands ; 
Their  lusty  shepherd  following  with  scoff  and  frown. 

A  leader  not  less  fleet, 

With  gentle  voice  and  sweet, 
Brought  them  to  wander  o'er  our  Northern  hills, 

When  spring's  first  blossoms  broke, 

And  the  south  wind  awoke, 
And  led  them  forth,  heedless  of  autumn's  ills. 

Beneath  their  passing  feet 

Bent  down  the  daisies  sweet, 
The  violet  and  frail  anemone ; 

While  in  a  single  night, 

Donning  her  robes  of  white, 
In  many  an  orchard  bloomed  the  apple-tree. 


A   MOVE   TO   THE   CABIN.  477 

But  now  the  roughening  blast, 

Seizing  upon  the  last, 
Scatters  their  fleece  with  icy  fingers  cold. 
See   through  the  darkening  air 

The  snowflakes  everywhere. 
Alas  !   poor  sheep,  haste  to  your  Southern  fold. 

"  Don't  you  think  it  is  rather  cold  out  here  ? "  asked  Kate. 
"  If  we  were  to  go  into  the  for  ward -cabin,  we  should  be  shel 
tered  from  the  wind,  and  we  could  see  every  thing  through  the 
windows  almost  as  plainly  as  if  we  were  actually  on  the  deck." 

"  That's  a  good  suggestion,"  said  Carrie.  "  Mamma  is  in 
there  too.  —  Come,  boys,  will  you  go  with  us  ?  " 

"  We'll  come  in  a  few  minutes,"  said  Tom,  ''just  as  soon  as 
we  have  got  the  bearings  of  things." 

So  the  girls  went  in,  and  settled  themselves  in  the  comfortable 
chairs,  drawing  them  up  about  Mrs.  Longwood,  while  the  boys 
proceeded  to  get  the  "  bearings  of  things."  This  process  con 
sisted  in  inspecting  the  boat  from  stem  to  stern.  They  looked 
into  the  engine-room  ;  they  glanced  over  the  scanty  supply  of 
literature  that  was  offered,  with  apples,  oranges,  peanuts,  and 
papers  of  tobacco,  at  the  news-stand  ;  in  short,  they  could,  before 
they  finished,  have  passed  a  very  creditable  examination  on  the 
boat  and  its  entire  contents  down  to  the  very  freight. 

" '  O  running  stream  of  sparkling  joy 
To  be  a  soaring  human  boy  ! '  " 

"  What  a  comfort  it  is  to  be  no  longer  one  !  "  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood,  in  the  upper  cabin,  to  the  girls,  as  he  drew  a  book  from 


47  8  "MY  MINISTER'S  CAT? 

his  pocket.  "  I  can  sit  here  comfortably,  without  the  slightest 
curiosity  as  to  what  is  going  on  in  the  boat.  I  can  even  in  the 
city  see  a  cat  in  the  street,  without  wanting  to  throw  a  stone  at 
it."  So  saying,  with  a  sigh  of  content,  he  turned  the  leaves,  and 
was  soon  absorbed. 

The  girls  and  Mrs.  Longwood  sat  looking  at  the  shores  for 
a  little.  Away  behind  them,  just  coming  out  of  the  city,  they 
could  see  a  train  hurrying  along  the  river's  edge.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  drew,  until,  with  a  rush  and  a  roar,  it  shot  by,  and  dis 
appeared  around  some  curve.  Then  they  passed  close  to  a  num 
ber  of  oyster-boats.  They  were  anchored  fast ;  and  the  men  in 
them  were  busy  with  their  long  rakes  in  dragging  the  unwilling 
oyster  from  his  comfortable  bed.  But  presently  all  these  sights 
palled  upon  them  ;  and  they  pulled  their  chairs  together,  and  began 
to  play  "  my  minister's  cat."  That  much  abused  domestic  ani 
mal  ran  the  whole  gamut  of  praise  and  blame,  amid  many  peals 
of  laughter,  until  Mr.  Longwood  at  last  laid  down  his  book. 

"  We  are  just  entering  the  Tappan  Zee,"  he  said,  looking 
about.  "  This  is  that  famous  sheet  of  water  considered  so  dan 
gerous  by  the  old  Dutch  sailors,  that  each  one  always  put  up  a 
prayer  to  St.  Nicholas  before  he  ventured  upon  it." 

"  What  a  different  thing  travelling  must  have  been  in  those 
days !  "  said  Kate.  "  People  then,  I  fancy,  hardly  crossed  the  seas 
for  pleasure." 

"  The  book  I  have  been  looking  over  was  the  journal  of  a 
traveller  to  the  New  World,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He  crossed 
in  1638,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago." 

"  Do  tell  us  a  little  about  it,"  urged  the  girls.  So  Mr.  Long- 
Wood  opened  his  book  again,  and  read  them  extracts. 


DUCKED  AT  THE  MAIN  YARDS  ARM.  479 

"  '  ANNO  DOM.  1638.  —  April  the  26th  being  Thursday,  I 
came  to  Gravesend  and  went  aboard  the  New  Supply,  alias,  the 
Nicholas  of  London,  a  Ship  of  good  force,  of  300  Tuns  burden, 
carrying  20  Sacre  &  Minion,  manned  with  48  Sailers,  the  Master 
Robert  Taylor,  with  164  Passengers,  men,  women,  and  children.'" 

"  What  are  Sacre  and  Minion  ? "  asked  Grace. 

"  Small  cannon  used  in  old  times,  but  out  of  date  long  since," 
said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  '  The  28.  we  turned  into  the  Downs,  where  Captain  Clark 
one  of  His  Majesties  Captains  in  the  Navy,  came  aboard  of  us 
in  the  afternoon,  &  prest  two  of  our  Trumpeters.  Here  we  had 
good  store  of  Flounders  from  the  Fishermen,  new  taken  out  of 
the  Sea  and  living,  which  were  fry'd  while  they  were  warm ; 
methought  I  never  tasted  of  a  delicater  Fish  in  all  my  life 
before.' 

"  It  took  our  voyager's  ship  five  days  to  get  clear  of  the 
English  Channel,  and  fairly  out  to  sea,"  went  on  Mr.  Longwood  : 
"  and  his  journal  for  those  five  days  has  little  of  interest :  so  I 
will  skip  it. 

"  '  The  Eighth  day,  one  Boreman's  man  a  passenger  was 
duck'd  at  the  main  yards  arm  (for  being  drunk  with  his  Masters 
strong  waters  which  he  stole)  thrice,  &  fire  given  to  two  whole 
Sacre,  at  that  instant.  Two  mighty  whales  we  now  saw,  the  one 
spouted  water  through  two  great  holes  in  her  head  into  the  Air 
a  great  height,  and  making  a  great  noise  with  puffing  & 
blowing,  the  Seamen  called  her  a  Soufler ;  the  other  was  further 
off,  about  a  league  from  the  Ship,  fighting  with  the  Sword-fish, 
and  the  Flail-fish,  whose  stroakes  with  a  fin  that  grows  upon  her 


480  THE  SEA   BOYLES  LIKE  A   POT. 

back  like  a  flail,  upon  the  back  of  the  whale,  we  heard  with 
amazement ;  when  presently  some  more  than  half  as  far  again 
we  spied  a  spout  from  above,  it  came  pouring  down  like  a  River 
of  water  ;  So  that  if  they  should  light  in  any  Ship,  she  were  in 
danger  to  presently  sunk  down  into  the  Sea,  and  falleth  with 
such  an  extream  violence  all  whole  together  as  one  drop,  or  as 
water  out  of  a  Vessel,  and  dured  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  making 
the  Sea  to  boyle  like  a  pot,  and  if  any  Vessel  be  near,  it  sucks 
it  in.  In  the  afternoon  the  Mariners  struck  a  Porpisce,  or  Sea- 
hogg,  with  an  harping  Iron,  and  hoisted  her  aboard,  they  cut 
some  of  it  into  thin  pieces,  &  fryed,  it  tastes  like  rusty  Bacon, 
if  not  worse  ;  but  the  Liver  boiled  &  soused  sometime  in 
Vinegar  is  more  grateful  to  the  pallat. 

"  '  About  8  of  the  clock  at  night,  a  flame  settled  upon  the 
main  mast,  it  was  about  the  bigness  of  a  great  Candle,  &  is 
called  by  our  Seamen  St.  Elmes  fire,  it  comes  before  a  storm, 
and  is  commonly  thought  to  be  a  Spirit ;  if  two  appear  they 
prognosticate  safety'.' ' 

"  Oh !  I  say,"  interrupted  Jack,  who  had  come  into  the 
saloon,  and  had  heard  the  latter  part  of  what  Mr.  Longwood 
was  reading,  "  this  begins  to  be  interesting.  It  was  no  doubt 
the  Banshee,  or  a  corpse-candle." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  check  your  imagination,  Jack,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood  ;  "  but  the  cause  of  St.  Elmo's  Fire  is  too  well  known  to  be 
attributed  to  evil  spirits.  It  is  supposed  to  be  electricity. 

"  But  to  go  back  to  our  voyager.  '  The  Twelfth  day  being 
Whitsunday,  the  partie  that  was  sick  of  the  small  pox  now  dyed, 
whom  we  buried  in  the  Sea,  tying  a  bullet  (as  the  manner  is) 


A    CAT  WITH  NINE   TAILS.  48! 

to  his  neck,  and  another  to  his  leggs,  turned  him  out  of  a  Port 
hole,  giving  fire  to  a  great  Gun.  In  the  afternoon  one  Martin 
Joy  a  stripling,  servant  to  Captain  Thomas  Cummock  was  whipt 
naked  at  the  Cap-stern,  with  a  Cat  with  Nine  tails,  for  filching 
9  great  Lemrnons  out  of  the  Chirurgeon's  Cabbin,  which  he  eat 
rinds  and  all  in  less  than  an  hours  time.' ' 

"  I  suppose  the  whipping  acted  as  an  antidote  to  the  lemons," 
said  Carrie. 

"  The  next  two  weeks  in  our  voyager's  diary  are  very  barren," 
continued  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Now  and  then  he  speaks  briefly  of 
meeting  a  '  tall  ship  ; '  but  he  has  nothing  more  to  say  about  food 
that  is  '  grateful  to  the  pallat.'  Possibly  the  cause  of  it  may  be 
found  in  one  sentence  :  '  All  this  while  a  very  great  grown  Sea 
&  mighty  winds.' 

"  '  June  the  first  day  in  the  afternoon,  very  thick  foggie 
weather,  we  sailed  by  an  inchanted  Island,  but  could  see  nothing 
by  reason  of  the  mist.' ' 

"  Oh,  come  !  "    said  Jack  :    "  that's  too  thin,  you  know." 

"  '  The  Fourteenth  day  of  June,  very  foggie  weather,  we 
sailed  by  an  Island  of  Ice  three  leagues  in  length  mountain 
high,  in  form  of  land,  with  Bayes  &  Capes  like  high  clift  land, 
and  a  River  pouring  off  it  into  the  Sea.  We  saw  likewise  two 
or  three  Foxes,  or  Devils  skipping  upon  it.  Here  it  was  as  cold 
as  in  the  middle  of  January,  &  so  continued  till  we  were  some 
leagues  beyond  it.  These  Islands  of  Ice  are  congealed  in  the 
North,  and  brought  down  in  the  spring-time  with  the  Current  to 
the  banks  on  this  side  Newfoundland  &  there  stopt  where  they 
dissolve  at  last  to  water. 


4&.  FISHING   ON  A    SUNDA  Y. 

"  '  The  Sixteenth  day  we  sounded  &  found  35  fathom  water 
we  cast  out  our  hooks  for  Cod-fish,  thick  foggie  weather,  the 
Codd  being  taken  on  a  Sunday  morning  the  Sectaries  aboard 
threw  those  their  servants  took  into  the  Sea  again,  although  they 
wanted  fresh  victuals. 

"  '  The  twentieth  day  we  saw  a  great  number  of  Sea-bats  or 
Owles  called  also  flying  fish,  they  are  about  the  bigness  of  a 
Whiting  with  four  tinsel  wings  with  which  they  fly  as  long  as 
they  are  wet  when  pursued  by  other  fishes.  Here  likewise  we 
saw  a  great  fish  called  the  Sword  fish,  having  a  long,  strong, 
and  sharp  finn  like  a  Sword  blade  on  the  top  of  his  head,  with 
which  he  pierced  our  Ship  &  broke  it  off  with  striving  to  get 
loose  one  of  our  Sailers  dived  &  brought  it  aboard.' 

"  From  this  time  on  the  voyage  was  very  commonplace. 
Sixty-eight  days  after  leaving  England,  they  anchored  in  Boston 
Harbor.  What  a  contrast,  in  point  of  time,  to  that  of  the  great 
steamer  we  just  saw,  which  has  made  the  same  distance  in  less 
than  ten  days !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Jack  meditatively,  "  after  all,  it  couldn't  have 
been  such  bad  fun  in  the  old  times.  Think  of  seeing  a  man 
ducked  at  the  yard-arm !  That  must  have  been  prime.  But  I 
say,"  he  went  on,  "  this  fellow  must  have  drawn  a  very  long 
bow  with  his  enchanted  islands,  and  so  forth.  I  wonder  if  people 
believed  him !  " 

"  He  published  an  account  of  a  second  voyage  to  America," 
said  Mr.  Longwood ;  "  and  in  the  preface  to  it  he  says  snap 
pishly,  that  there  are  '  certain  spirits  who  have  never  travelled  so 
much  sea  as  is  between  Heth  ferry  &  Lyon  Key  yet  notwith- 


AN  INCREDULOUS  PUBLIC. 


•standing  sitting  in  the  chair  of  the  scornful  will  desperately 
censure  the  relations  of  the  greatest  Travellers.'  So  that  I 
imagine  that  his  stories  were  not  all  implicitly  believed. 

"  He  went  into  the  Province  of  Maine,  too,  after  he  had 
landed,  and  records  one  or  two  pretty  stiff  stories  of  wonders 
there,  —  one  of  a  sea-serpent  that  '  lay  quoiled  up  like  a  Cable 
upon  a  rock  at  Cape  Ann.'  Another  was  of  one  Mr.  Mitten, 
who  had  an  encounter  with  a  triton  in  Casco  Bay.  '  The  Gentle 
men  was  a  great  Fouler,  and  used  to  goe  out  with  a  small  Boat 
or  Canow,  and  fetching  a  compass  about  a  small  Island  for  the 
advantage  of  a  shot  was  encountered  with  a  Triton  who  laying 
his  hands  upon  the  side  of  the  Canow  had  one  of  them  chopt 
off  with  a  Hatchett  by  Mr.  Mitten  which  was  in  all  respects  like 
the  hand  of  a  man,  the  Triton  presently  sunk,  dying  the  water 
with  his  purple  blood  &  was  no  more  seen.'  ' 

"  I  should  fancy  that  the  ships  of  those  days  would  have  had 
hard  times  in  the  great  storms,"  said  Will. 

"  They  often  did  succumb,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Some 
found  themselves  suddenly  on  an  unknown  coast,  like  Somers 
and  his  men,  who  lost  their  ship  on  the  Bermudas,  though  they 
escaped  with  their  lives  :  others,  less  fortunate,  went  down  in  the 
swirling  fury  of  an  angry  sea,  leaving  never  a  trace  behind  to 
tell  how  their  fate  had  come  upon  them." 

"  Why,  yes  !  "  said  Carrie,  "  there  was  that  expedition  of  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert's,  don't  you  know  ?  " 

'  We  don't  know,"  said  Rose  and  Lou.     "  Tell  us  about  it." 

"  I  think  I  will  ask  papa  to  tell,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  for  T  am  not 
very  sure  that  I  know  myself." 


CHAPTER     II. 

"  SIR  HUMPHREY  GILBERT  sailed  from 
England  with  a  little  fleet  of  five  ships,  — 
'  The  Delight/  (  Raleigh,'  '  Golden  Hind,' 
'  Swallow,'  and  '  Squirrel.'  '  The  Delight ' 
carried  the  admiral's  flag.  Two  days  after, 
•  when  they  hailed  one  another  in  the  even 
ing,  they  learned  that  the  captain  and 
many  of  the  men  of  '  The  Raleigh  '  were 
down  with  a  strange  fever  ;  and  that  night 
the  ship  left  them,  and  made  her  way  back 
to  England. 

"  The  other  four  kept  on  their  west 
ward  course,  though  much  disheartened 
at  the  loss  of  their  most  puissant  ship.  Storms  and  fog  assailed 
them,  and  drove  them  asunder ;  but  they  met  on  the  New 
foundland  coast.  And  here  the  men  of  the  other  ships  were 
much  astonished  to  see  how  greatly  the  attire  of  the  men 
of  '  The  Swallow '  had  improved  since  they  parted  company. 
Then  they  were  sadly  straitened.  Presently  the  cause  of  the 
improvement  leaked  out.  '  The  Swallow '  had  been  originally  a 
486 


A   NEW   WAY  OF  BUYING   CLOTHES.  489 

pirate,  and  had  been  captured  in  the  narrow  seas,  as  the  English 
and  Irish  Channels  were  called,  just  as  she  had  overhauled  a 
Frenchman.  Probably  to  escape  hard  usage  for  piracy,  her  crew 
had  consented  to  go  on  this  expedition.  So  a  new  captain  was 
set  over  them.  In  mid  ocean  they  met  a  fisherman,  homeward 
bound  from  the  Banks ;  and,  being  very  short  of  clothes,  they 
persuaded  the  captain  to  let  them  go  off  in  the  small  boat,  to 
buy  such  things  as  they  stood  most  in  need  of.  They  had  no 
sooner  boarded  her  than  they  made  good  use  of  their  past  ex 
perience.  The  unfortunate  fishermen  were  triced  up,  and  tortured 
with  cords,  which  were  wound  about  their  heads,  and  then 
tightened.  In  this  way  they  were  made  to  give  up  all  that  they 
had,  even  the  clothes  off  their  backs.  So  terrified  were  the  poor 
wretches,  that  when  their  tormentors  left  them,  and  their  boat 
in  getting  away  was  swamped,  instead  of  sailing  away,  and  leav 
ing  them  to  drown,  they  fished  up  all  they  could,  and,  with  their 
own  boat,  put  them  back  on  '  The  Swallow.' 

"  After  more  stormy  weather,  the  little  fleet  met  in  the 
harbor  of  St.  John's.  Here  they  recruited  their  empty  larders 
from  the  fishing-fleet  that  was  always  to  be  found  in  these 
waters.  The  turbulent  spirits  of  the  crews  broke  out  afresh. 
They  plotted  to  run  away  with  the  ships  while  the  officers  were 
ashore,  and  were  only  prevented  by  great  vigilance.  A  party  of 
them  actually  did  seize  a  fishing-craft,  putting  her  men  on  land, 
to  shift  as  best  they  might.  Numbers  deserted,  and  hid  them 
selves  ashore  :  others  were  taken  ill  in  such  quantities,  that  it 
was  decided  that  '  The  Swallow '  should  be  sent  back  to  England 
with  the  sick.  Her  captain  and  piratical  crew  were  transferred 


49°  WINDING    THE   CORNET  AND  HAUTBOY. 

to  '  The  Delight ; '  and  the  fleet,  now  reduced  to  three  sail,  set 
out  southward  to  explore  the  coast.  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  him 
self  went  in  'The  Squirrel,'  a  tiny  craft  of  only  ten  tons.  Her 
decks  were  fitted  with  the  guns  from  '  The  Swallow/  —  far  too 
heavy  a  weight  for  the  little  ship,  as  was  most  disastrously 
proved  later  on. 

"  They  sailed  away,  as  we  have  said,  rounding  the  headlands, 
and  exploring  the  bays,  and  in  constant  danger  from  sudden 
shoals.  At  the  end  of  a  week  a  great  calamity  befell  them. 
4  The  Delight,'  their  largest  ship,  and  the  one  which  bore  their 
store  of  provisions,  was  lost.  The  evening  before,  as  she  led 
the  fleet,  she  laid  her  course  north-west,  following  the  trend  of 
some  cape.  The  other  captains  remonstrated  ;  but  she  held  her 
way,  and  they  had  nothing  to  do  but  follow.  The  weather  was 
fair,  and,  says  the  old  chronicler,  '  like  the  swan  that  singeth 
before  death,  they  in  "  The  Delight "  made  merry  all  that  evening 
with  trumpet  and  drum  and  fife,  also  winding  the  cornet  and  haut 
boys.'  In  the  morning  they  found  themselves  suddenly  among 
shoals  and  breakers  ;  and  before  they  could  get  about,  they  were 
aground,  and  the  ship  fast  breaking  up  under  the  fury  of  the 
seas.  '  The  Golden  Hind '  and  '  The  Squirrel,'  warned  in  time, 
barely  managed  to  wear  off  until  they  were  safe  in  deep  water. 
There  they  watched  their  unfortunate  comrades,  utterly  unable  to 
help  them  as  the  breakers  dashed  their  good  ship  to  pieces,  and 
drowned  them  one  after  another. 

"  This  was  a  staggering  blow  to  the  expedition.  Their  largest 
ship,  a  hundred  men,  provisions,  all  gone  at  a  blow.  The  men 
in  the  two  vessels  that  were  left  became  discouraged,  and  refused 


"THE  SQUIRREL"  IN   DANGER. 


THE    WIND  IS  "LARGE  FOR  ENGLAND."  493. 

to  proceed ;  and  so  their  prows  were  turned  eastward,  and,  with 
the  wind  '  large  for  England,'  they  set  out  for  home.  Sir 
Humphrey  went  in  the  little  '  Squirrel.'  Loaded  down  with  guns, 
the  tiny  craft  was  in  no  ways  suited  for  an  ocean-passage.  He 
was  urged  to  change  to  '  The  Golden  Hind,'  but  replied,  '  I  will 
not  forsake  my  little  company  with  whom  I  have  passed  so  many 
storms  and  perils.' 

"  The  two  vessels  were  ordered  to  keep  together,  and  each  was 
to  hang  out  lights  at  night  ;  and  so  they  kept  their  course  until 
about  a  third  of  the  homeward  passage  was  made,  and  then 
they  came  upon  very  foul  weather  and  terrible  seas.  The  little 
'  Squirrel '  went  out  of  sight  between  the  great  waves,  and  at. 
one  time  they  in  '  The  Golden  Hind '  thought  that  she  had 
foundered ;  but  she  recovered  wonderfully,  and  Sir  Humphrey, 
who  was  sitting  book  in  hand  upon  the  deck,  cried  out  to  them, 
as  they  came  within  hail,  to  be  of  good  courage.  '  We  are  as 
near  to  heaven  by  sea  as  by  land.'  That  night,  about  midnight, 
the  watch  of  '  The  Golden  Hind '  cried  out  suddenly  that  the 
'  Squirrel '  was  cast  away.  In  a  single  instant  her  lights  dis 
appeared  :  the  waves  had  swallowed  her.  And  so  died  a  reso- 

* 

lute  Christian  gentleman." 

All  this  talking  and  story-telling  had  not  taken  the  short  time 
that  it  has  for  you  to  read  it  here.  Darkness  had  fallen  long 
before.  In  the  dim  moonlight  the  giant  hills  of  the  highlands, 
through  which  the  boat  was  making  her  way,  stood  out,  the 
shadows  lying  dark  and  deep  in  the  hollows,  while  the  winding 
river  flowed  on  at  their  feet  in  inky  blackness. 

One    after  another   the    landings   had    been   made ;    and   now, 


494  WHERE  HAVE    YOU  BEEN,   JACK? 

when  the  young  people  began  to  get  their  wraps  together,  ready 
for  their  own  disembarking,  it  was  suddenly  discovered  that  Jack 
was  missing.  When  notes  were  compared,  it  was  found  that  no 
one  had  seen  him  for  at  least  an  hour.  Carrie  at  once  started 
the  idea  that  he  had  fallen  overboard.  "  You  know  he  fell  over 
from  '  The  Mavis '  last  summer,"  she  said  ;  "  and  he  is  such  a 
harum-scarum  boy  !  "  She  was  so  convinced  of  the  truth  of  her 
theory,  that,  if  it  had  rested  with  her  to  decide,  she  would  have 
had  the  river  dragged  for  his  body  without  loss  of  time.  It  was, 
I  think,  quite  a  disappointment  to  her  when  the  missing  young 
man  turned  up  in  the  midst  of  her  eloquence,  hands  in  pocket, 
and  whistling. 

"  Where  have  you  been  ? "  they  all  cried. 

"  Up  in  the  pilot-house,"  replied  Jack  loftily.  "  And  I  say, 
the  pilot  told  me  a  lot  of  stones  about  the  hills  and  things,  as 
we  passed  them.  There  was  one  he  called  the  Dunderberg.  He 
said  it  was  a  regular  old  storm-breeder,  and  the  reason  was  that 
it  was  the  home  of  a  goblin,  who  ruled  the  weather.  In  old 
times  the  navigators  used  to  see  him.  He  was  of  Dutch  build, 
and  wore  a  sugar-loaf  hat  and  knickerbockers,  and,  with  his 
trumpet  to  his  mouth,  would  order  another  blast  of  wind  to  pipe 

up,  or  another  peal  of  thunder  to  crash   away.     And    then,  when 

/ 

the  storm  was  at  its  height,  they  would  see  him  tumbling  head 
over  heels,  surrounded  by  little  imps,  in  the  thick  of  the  rack. 

"  One  time  a  sloop  was  passing,  and  all  at  once  a  thunder- 
gust  burst  right  over  the  craft.  The  vessel  pitched  and  strained 
fearfully,  as  if  she  were  going  to  the  bottom.  Up  on  the  top  of 
the  mast  the  men  saw  a  white  sugar-loaf  hat,  and  they  knew  that 


THE  DOMINIE'S   WIFE'S  NIGHTCAP.  495 

it  belonged  to  the  goblin  of  the  Dunderberg  ;  but  none  of  them 
dared  to  climb  the  mast.  And  so  the  sloop  went  driving  on  in 
a  terrible  way,  the  men  expecting  to  see  her  sink  every  minute 
(and  so  she  would  have,  had  they  not  fortunately  a  horse-shoe 
nailed  to  the  mast) ,  until  they  reached  the  upper  end  of  the  high 
lands,  where  the  goblin's  dominion  ended.  There  the  hat  sud 
denly  whirled  up  in  the  air,  and,  followed  by  all  the  clouds  and 
storm,  started  back  in  mad  flight,  and  never  rested  until  it 
reached  the  Dunderberg." 

"  Did  your  pilot  ever  see  him  ?  "  asked  Ned  somewhat  sarcas 
tically. 

"  No ;  but  Skipper  Ouselsticker  of  Fishkill  did.  His  craft 
was  off  the  point  in  a  tremendous  squall ;  and  he  saw  the  goblin, 
seated  astride  of  his  bowsprit,  running  them  ashore." 

"What  did  he  do?"  asked  Lou. 

"  He  had  Dominie  van  Giesen,  or  some  other  such  name,  on 
board  :  and  he  mustered  up  courage  to  repeat  the  hymn  of  St. 
Nicholas ;  and  the  goblin  couldn't  stand  that,  so  he  turned  a 
somerset  off  the  bowsprit,  and  disappeared.  He  went  off  like 
a  flash,  and  carried  the  dominie's  wife's  nightcap  with  him  ;  and 
the  next  Sunday  they  found  it  hanging  on  the  weathercock  of 
the  steeple  of  his  church,  more  than  forty  miles  away.  After 
that,  the  navigators  always  lowered  their  peaks  in  passing  the 
mountain,  and  he  let  them  alone  ;  but,  if  any  one  didn't,  he  had 
'  Hail  Columbia '  to  pay  for  it." 

"  Your  pilot  seems  to  have  been  a  diligent  reader  of  Wash 
ington  Irving,  at  all  events,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Did  he 
point  out  Antony's  Nose,  and  tell  you  how  it  came  by  its 
name  ? " 


496  THE  STORY  OF  ANTONY'S  NOSE. 

"  Yes,"  said  Jack.  "  When  Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  old  Dutch 
governor  of  New  York,  was  once  sailing  up  the  river,  it  chanced 
that  his  trumpeter,  Antony  van  Corlear,  happened  to  be  looking 
over  the  vessel's  side,  contemplating  his  countenance  in  the  water 
beneath  him.  Antony  had  a  nose  mighty  in  size,  and  fiery  from 


APPROACHING   THE    DOCK. 


many  a  long  pull  at  the  flagon.  Just  at  that  instant  the  sun 
rose  ;  and  one  of  its  beams,  darting  over  the  top  of  a  hill,  fell 
full  upon  Antony's  nose,  whence  it  glanced  off,  hissing  hot,  into 
the  water,  killing  a  sturgeon  that  was  swimming  near  the  surface. 
And  ever  since  the  hill  has  been  known  as  '  Antony's  Nose.'  " 


GET  IN,  LITTLE  BOY.  497 


"  Well,"  interrupted   Tom,  "  here  we  are  close   to   our  landing. 
We  had  better  go  below,  and  get  ready  to  go  ashore." 

So  gathering  up  their  wraps,  they  made  their  way  down,  and 
shortly  found  themselves  standing  on  the  dock.  Two  large 
wagons  were  waiting  for  them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longwood,  with 
the  girls  and  Jack,  much  to  his  disgust,  got  into  one,  which  set 
out  briskly  at  once  up  the  long  hills  ;  while  the  four  boys  waited 
to  pick  out  the  luggage,  and  follow  in  the  other. 


CHAPTER    III. 


SLOWLY  the  wagons  crept  up  the 
hills,  passing  first  through  the  village 
streets,  where  the  light  from  the  win 
dows  of  the  houses  gleamed  through 
the  darkness ;  then  on  up  the  long 
way,  where  only  now  and  then  a 
house  broke  the  pale  moonlit  monot 
ony  of  fence  and  field  and  wood. 
The  air  was  sharp  and  chill ;  and  the 
girls  drew  their  wraps  closer  around 
them,  while  impatient  Jack,  heedless 
of  the  steep  incline,  endeavored  by 
surreptitious  chirps  to  make  the  horses  go  faster. 

"  But  it  is  a  long  road  that  has  no  turning,"  is  the  old  say 
ing  ;  and  so  at  last  they  all  at  once  left  the  highway,  and  turn 
ing  through  a  gate  into  the  fields,  after  a  moment  more  drew  up 
at  the  farmhouse  door. 

"  Whoa  !  "  called  the  driver  ;  and  at  the  word  the  door  opened, 
and  a  trim  woman  appeared  in    it.     Her  whole    figure    stood    out 
in   bold   relief  against    the    warm   glow  of  light   behind    her ;    for 
498 


A   HfSSTNG  AND   SPLUTTERING   SOUND.  499 

the  place  was  ablaze  with  a  great  open  wood-fire  that  filled  the 
huge  old  fireplace  with  bellying  flags  of  flame,  and  sent  troops 
of  sparks  up  the  big  chimney,  while  the  smell  of  the  burning 
hickory-logs  filled  the  room  with  fragrance. 

The  young  people  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  in,  and,  gathering 
about  the  hearth,  looked  with  interest  around.  It  was  a  huge 
room.  Overhead  one  could  almost  touch  the  heavy  oak  beams, 
blackened  by  time,  that  had  never  been  hidden  away  under 
plaster.  The  whole  brick  chimney-breast  was  covered  with  shelves, 
on  which  stood  many  ponderous  books,  so  large,  that  Gertrude 
found  herself  wondering  how  they  were  ever  gotten  up  there. 
Around  nearly  the  whole  room,  against  the  walls,  ran  book-shelves, 
breast-high,  filled  with  books.  It  was  evident  that  Mr.  Long- 
wood's  brother  was  more  of  a  scholar  than  a  farmer. 

But  the  object  to  which  the  eyes  of  our  friends  were  directed 
with  the  greatest  satisfaction  was  at  one  side  of  the  room,  —  a 
table  set  with  twelve  plates,  which  shone  out  conspicuous  under 
the  light  of  a  great  candelabra  in  the  centre.  Their  eyes 
returned  to  it  constantly ;  and  at  times  they  found  themselves  all 
silent,  and  listening,  each  with  a  pleasant  expression  of  face,  to 
a  hissing  and  spluttering  sound  that  came  through  the  half-open 
kitchen-door.  "  A  voice  within  me  cries  '  Cupboard  ! ' :'  said  Tom. 
"  We  feel  with  you,"  said  they  all  sympathetically. 

Presently  the  hissing  and  spluttering  ceased,  and  the  trim 
woman  began  to  hurry  in  and  out  with  one  smoking  dish  after 
another  in  her  hands.  An  odor  of  broiled  chicken  began  to 
struggle  for  the  mastery  with  that  of  burning  hickory,  and  in  a 
few  mimites  they  were  seated  around  the  table. 


500  AN  UNEXPECTED    VISITOR. 

They  had  all  been  helped,  and  there  was  that  blissful  conver 
sational  silence  that  comes  with  a  roaring  appetite,  and  the  trim 
woman  was  bustling  about,  passing  the  viands,  when  suddenly 
these  words  rang  out  in  a  shrill,  quavering  voice,  — 

"  Who  be  you  ?  " 

Involuntarily  they  all  turned  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
sound  came.  There  in  the  kitchen  doorway  stood  a  strange 
figure,  —  a  woman  very  old,  spare  and  tall.  On  her  head  a 
nightcap  was  tied  tightly :  around  her  shoulder  was  drawn  a 
blanket,  which  trailed  behind  her  on  the  floor,  exposing  the  bot 
tom  of  a  nightdress  and  a  pair  of  bare  feet  below  it. 

Gertrude  gave  a  little  scream,  and  clutched  Tom,  who  was 
sitting  next  to  her,  firmly  by  the  arm  ;  and  the  trim  woman  set 
down  a  plate  of  bread  which  she  was  passing  him,  so  hurriedly, 
that  it  all  upset  into  his  lap,  and  exclaiming,  "  Sakes  alive  !  it's 
mother  waked  up,"  hurried  toward  her. 

"  Who  be  you,"  demanded  the  quavering  voice  again,  "  a- 
eatin'  and  carousin'  when  honest  folk  should  be  abed  ?  '  Woe 
unto  them  that  are  mighty  to  drink '  "  — 

But  the  further  denunciations  of  this  new  Jeremiah  were  cut 
short  by  the  trim  woman,  who  unceremoniously  hustled  her  inta 
the  kitchen,  and  closed  the  door  behind  her. 

"  Gertrude,"  said  Tom  politely,  "  I  think  the  worst  of  the 
danger  is  now  over.  If  you  will  release  my  arm  from  your 
grasp,  I  will  endeavor  to  relieve  myself  from  this  bread,  which, 
as  the  politician  said  of  office,  came  to  me  entirely  unexpectedly, 
and  through  no  effort  of  my  own.  —  Who  is  our  strange  visitor 
anyway,  papa  ?  " 


A   POWERFUL   GRIP   ON  THE  SCRIPTERS.  501 

"  I  suspect  she  is  Mrs.  Daniels's  mother,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
41  Daniels  told  me  that  his  wife's  mother  had  come  to  live  with 
them,  and  that  she  was  so  old  that  she  was  getting  childish,  but 
that  she  had  '  a  powerful  grip  on  the  Scripters  yet.'  I  think  the 
old  lady  answers  to  his  description." 

The  rest  of  the  meal  went  on  without  further  interruption. 
The  trim  woman  re-appeared  shortly,  looking  a  little  flustered, 
but  said  nothing  ;  and  after  a  time  they  all  drew  up  in  a  circle 
about  the  blaze.  Conversation  flagged.  Presently  Tom  began  to 
nod,  then  looking  up,  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  Four  of  you  are  half 
asleep,  and  I  can  hardly  keep  my  eyes  open.  Jack  has  been 
oblivious  for  ten  minutes.  It  must  be  the  wind." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  looking  at  the  tall  clock  that 
stood  in  the  corner,  "  it  is  half-past  nine." 

"  I  vote  we  all  turn  in,"  said  Ned. 

So  there  was  a  lighting  of  candles,  and  a  stumbling  up  the 
wooden  stairs ;  and  when  the  great  backlog  broke  up,  a  half- 
hour  later,  into  a  mass  of  glowing  coals  that  came  flying  out  on 
to  the  broad  hearth,  there  was  no  one  to  sweep  them  back,  until 
the  trim  woman  came  bustling  in  with  the  first  light  the  next 
morning. 

Jack,  as  usual,  was  the  first  to  be  down  stairs.  His  was  an 
investigating  mind.  With  hands  in  pocket,  and  whistle  in  mouth, 
he  strolled  about  the  room.  Presently,  not  being  at  all  bashful, 
he  made  his  way  into  the  kitchen.  The  old  grandmother  was 
rocking  a  boy  of  two  or  three  years  in  a  cradle.  The  youngster 
was  struggling  to  get  out,  and  kicking  lustily ;  but  the  old  woman 
was  strong,  and  held  him  firmly.  "  Lie  still,"  she  cried  at  inter- 


502  WHO  IS  CLAWJESMITH? 

vals,  "  or  Clawjesmith  will  get  you."  But  the  youngster  would 
not  lie  still :  he  struggled  and  fought  as  hard  as  ever.  "  Land 
o'  Goshen  !  "  exclaimed  the  old  woman,  panting  for  breath,  "  that's 
the  powerfulest  three-months-old  child  I  ever  heard  on.  I'm 
nigh  beat  out.  I  wonder  if  it's  the  cramp.  —  Cynthy  !  "  she  called 
to  her  daughter,  who  had  been  busy  in  the  other  room  all  this 
while,  "  I  calcalate  the  baby's  got  the  cramp.  Where's  the  anise- 
seed  ?  " 

At  this  the  trigi  woman  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and,  taking 
in  the  situation,  rushed  forward,  and  released  the  boy,  who 
straightway  stood  upon  his  feet,  and  proceeded  to  use  his  mouth 
to  suck  his  thumb  with,  instead  of  to  shout  with. 

"  Land  o'  Goshen  !  "  said  the  old  woman,  as  she  made  out  the 
size  of  the  youngster,  after  a  prolonged  and  earnest  gaze  through 
her  spectacles,  "  I  reckoned  'twas  the  baby  all  the  while.  Where 
is  the  baby?" 

Now,  the  youngster  just  mentioned  was  the  trim  woman's  only 
child :  in  short,  there  was  no  baby,  except  in  the  old  woman's 
imagination.  But  in  that  there  was  a  baby,  and  a  very  positive 
one.  It  even  had  a  name.  Little  Cynthy  she  called  it,  and  half 
her  time  was  spent  in  attendance  on  that  imaginary  child.  This 
freak  of  her  fancy  had  been  a  source  of  considerable  annoyance 
to  her  worthy  son-in-law,  until  one  day  he  hit  upon  the  idea  of 
having  a  gigantic  rag-baby  made,  with  which  she  was  perfectly 
satisfied,  and  would  be  quiet  for  hours  in  tending  it. 

"  Mr.  Longwood,"  said  Jack  at  the  breakfast- table,  "  who  or 
what  is  Clawjesmith  ?  " 

"  Clawjesmith  !  "  said  that  gentleman,  repeating  the  word  after 
him.  "  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea.  Where  did  you  hear  it  ?  " 


A  PRECIOUS   VILLAIN.  503 

"  The  old  grandmother  in  the  kitchen  told  the  boy  to  lie  still, 
or  Clawjesmith  would  get  him." 

"  Why  didn't  you  ask  her  who  he  was  ?  "  said  Carrie. 

"  I  did,"  said  Jack. 

"  What  did  she  say  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  Nothing  to  the  point,"  said  Jack,  flushing  a  little. 

"  Give  us  her  exact  words,"  said  Carrie  firmly,  taking  note  of 
the  blush. 

"  Well,"  said  Jack,  "  if  you  must  have  them,  she  said,  '  Never 

you    mind,    you    sassy   little    boy :    only    look    out    he    don't    get 

>  » 
you. 

There  was  a  general  laugh  at  this,  when  suddenly  Mr.  Long- 
wood  exclaimed,  "  Why,  of  course  !  I  have  it.  She  must  mean 
Claudius  Smith." 

"Who  was  he?" 

*'  A  desperate  wretch,  the  terror  of  all  this  neighborhood  in 
Revolutionary  times.  He  was  the  leader  of  a  gang  who  hid 
away  in  the  mountains.  By  night  they  would  sally  forth,  and 
commit  all  sorts  of  cruelties.  Hanging  men  up  until  they  were 
nearly  dead,  to  make  them  tell  where  they  kept  their  money,  and 
sometimes  quite  forgetting  to  let  them  down  at  all,  was  one  of 
their  favorite  practices.  Our  aged  friend  has  doubtless  heard 
many  wild  stories  about  the  villain  from  her  parents." 

"  What  became  of  him  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  He  murdered  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the  place  in  cold 
blood,  and  then  a  large  reward  was  offered  for  him.  Fearing 
that  its  size  might  tempt  his  own  men  to  give  him  up,  he  fled 
to  New  York,  and  then  to  Smithtown  on  Long  Island,  where  he 


504  THE  STORY  OF  A   BRAVE    WOMAN. 

» 

hoped  to  be  hidden.  But  his  whereabouts  became  known  to  one 
or  two  patriots.  A  party  crossed  the  Sound  in  whale-boats,  and 
seized  him  ;  and  the  worthy  settlers  whom  he  had  tormented  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  hung.  He  was  a  precious  rascal. 
His  mother  had  once  told  him  that  he  would  die,  like  a  trooper's 
horse,  with  his  shoes  on  ;  and  to  prevent  her  prophecy  coming 
true,  while  he  was  standing  in  the  cart,  with  the  noose  about 
his  neck,  he  kicked  off  his  shoes,  and  died  in  his  stockings." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Carrie,  "  I  suppose  it's  the  old  story  again. 
We  shall  hear,  as  we  have  done  in  all  our  expeditions,  about 
men's  doings,  good  or  bad,  but  never  a  word  about  women's 
doings." 

"  Caroline,"  said  Will,  "  dismiss  your  gloomy  anticipations. 
You  shall  hear  of  a  woman's  deed  this  moment." 

i. 
'Twas  in  days  of  the  Revolution,  — 

Dark  days  were  they  and  drear,  — 
And  by  Carolina  firesides 

The  women  sat  in  fear; 
For  the  men  were  away  at  the  fighting, 

And  sad  was  the  news  that  came, 
That  the  battle  was  lost;  and  the  death-list 

Held  many  a  loved  one's  name. 

n. 

And  the  men  of  the  routed  army, 

Their  hearts  within  as  stone, 
Half  believed  that  the  Lord  had  forsook  them, 

And  they  must  fight  alone. 


A    CALL  FOR  A    VOLUNTEER. 


5°7 


When  as  heart-sore  they  sat  round  the  camp-fires, 

"  What  ho  !     Who'll  volunteer 
To  carry  a  message  to  Sumter  ?  " 

A  voice  rang  loud  and  clear. 


BY    CAROLINA    FIRESIDES. 


III. 


There  was  a  sudden  silence, 
But  not  a  man  replied  : 

They  knew  too  well  of  the  peril 
Of  him  who  dared  that  ride. 


508  THE   CLICK  OF  A   RIFLE 

For  the  country  was  filled  with  wild  troopers, 
With  Cunningham's  bloody  pack, 

And  Tory  wretches  at  every  turn  : 
What  wonder  the  men  hung  back  ! 

IV. 

Outspoke  then  Emily  Geiger, 

With  a  rich  flush  on  her  cheek,  — 
"  Give  me  the  message  to  be  sent : 

I  am  the  one  you  seek. 
For  I  am  a  Southern  woman; 

And  Td  rather  do  and  dare 
Than  sit  by  a  lonely  fireside, 

My  heart  gnawed  through  with  care." 

v. 
They  gave  her  the  precious  missive ; 

And  on  her  own  good  steed 
She  rode  away,  'mid  the  cheers  of  the  men, 

Upon  her  daring  deed. 
And  away  through  the  lonely  forests, 

Steadily  galloping  on, 
She  saw  the  sun  sink  low  in  the  sky, 

And  in  the  west  go  down. 

VI. 

"  Halt !  —  or  I  fire  !  "     On  a  sudden 

A  rifle  clicked  close  by. 
"  Let  you  pass  ?  Not  we,  till  we  know  you  are 

No  messenger  nor  spy." 
"  She's  a  Whig,  —  from  her  face,  —  I  will  wager," 

Swore  the  officer  of  the  day. 


THE 


MARCH 


TO   THE  GUARD-HOUSE!  5" 

"To  the  guard-house,  and  send  for  a  woman 
To  search  her  without  delay." 

VII. 

No  time  did  she  lose  in  bewailing: 

As  the  bolt  creaked  in  the  lock, 
She  quickly  drew  the  precious  note 

That  was  hidden  in  her  frock, 
And  she  read  it  through  with  hurried  care, 

Then  ate  it,  piece  by  piece, 
And  calmly  sat  her  down  to  wait 

Till  time  should  bring  release. 

VIII. 

They  brought  her  out  in  a  little, 

And  set  her  on  her  steed, 
With  many  a  rude  apology, 

For  their  discourteous  deed. 
On,  on,  once  more  through  the  forest  black, 

The  good  horse  panting  strains, 
Till  the  sentry's  challenge,  "Who  comes  there?*' 

Tells  that  the  end  he  gains. 

DC. 
Ere  an  hour,  in  the  camp  of  Sumter 

There  was  hurrying  to  and  fro. 
"  Saddle  and  mount,  saddle  and  mount !  " 

The  bugles  shrilly  blow. 
"  Forward  trot !  "  and  the  long  ranks  wheel, 

And  into  the  darkness  glide : 
Long  shall  the  British  rue  that  march, 

And  Emily  Geiger's  ride. 


C  IAPTER    IV. 


WHAT  a  glorious  morning  it  wa^ 
The  boys,  as  they  came  hurrying  out 
of  doors,  and  felt  the  cool  breath  of 
the  north  wind  on  their  faces,  were 
ready  to  throw  their  caps  into  the 
air  from  mere  animal  spirits.  Ned, 
having  opportunely  bent  over  to  fast 
en  his  shoestring,  presented  such  an 
attractive  back,  that  Tom  could  not 


HOW   VICIOUSLY  SHE  SWITCHES  HER   TAIL! 


513 


forbear  a  leap  ;  and  before  the  girls,  who  followed  more  deco* 
rously,  Tiad  arrived  on  the  ground,  the  boys  were  half  way  down 
the  road  to  the  gate,  in  a  wild  game  of  leap-frog. 

"  I  suppose,  anyway,  that  the  boys  will  be  no  fun  until  they 
get  the  '  bearings  of  things,'  "  said  Carrie,  watching  their  flight. 
"  Come,  girls,  let  us  see  what  is  to  be  seen.  Suppose  we  go  out 
to  the  barn." 

They  set  out  at  once,  but  got  no  farther  tha'n  the  barnyard 
gate  ;  for  there  facing 
them,  placidly  chewing 
her  cud,  and  gazing  with 
mild  wonder  in  her  eyes, 
stood  a  cow.  They  came 
to  a  halt  instantly. 

"  She  is  certainly  dan 
gerous,"  said  Lou.  "See 
how  she  looks  at  us,  and 
ho»w  viciously  she  switch 
es  her  tail  !  " 

The  cow,  at  this  mo 
ment  scenting  the  apples 
which  they  were  eating, 
and  hoping  for  a  morsel, 
moved  a  step  forward 
with  outstretched  nose.  The  girls  precipitately  fled. 

"  Well,"  said  Carrie,  "  we  can  get  into  the  barn  through  the 
other  yard  :  there  are  only  sheep  there.  They  cannot  harm  us." 

So  they  opened  the  gate    into  the  sheep-yard,  and  passed    in. 


THE   DANGEROUS  COW. 


514  JACK  DELIVERS  HIS  VIEWS. 

The  boys  joined  them.  Jack,  who  had  witnessed  their  ignoble 
retreat,  was  expressing  his  views  on  girls'  weaknesses.  They 
were  about  half  way  across  the  yard. 

"  It  was  very  foolish,"  he  said.  "  The  cow  was  perfectly 
gentle.  Nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  cows  out  of  a  thousand 
are.  You  might  just  as  well  expect  to  be  attacked  by  a  sheep." 

Rash  words !  An  old  buck,  unnoticed  by  them,  had  viewed 
their  entrance  with  marked  disapproval.  At  first  he  was  satisfied 
to  express  this  by  tosses  of  the  head,  and  energetic  stamps  of 
his  foot :  but  his  feelings  had  rapidly  grown  beyond  his  control ; 
and,  just  as  Jack  pronounced  the  last  words,  he  advanced  upon 
him,  swiftly  and  unseen,  from  behind,  and  with  one  dexterous 
blow  of  his  head  sent  him  sprawling  to  the  ground. 

The  girls  fled  at  this  unexpected  attack;  while  the  boys  were 
laughing  too  hard  to  help  Jack,  who  scrambled  half  way  up  just 
in  time  to  be  sent  down  by  another  blow.  He  was  quicker  a 
second  time,  and,  gaining  his  feet  and  a  stick  at  the  same  time, 
soon  put  his  enemy  to  flight. 

"It  is  evident  that  we  are  not  to  reach  the  barn  this  morn 
ing,"  said  Rose.  "  Let's  go  back  to  the  house :  it  must  be 
almost  time  to  get  ready  for  church." 

"  Church  !  "  ejaculated  Jack  with  astonishment  strongly  mixed 
with  disapprobation. 

"  Of  course,  you  young  reprobate  !  "  said  Will.  "  Who  ever 
heard  of  not  going  to  church  on  Thanksgiving  ?  I  hope  we 
shall  walk.  It's  just  the  morning  for  a  good  tramp." 

At  the  prospect  of  a  walk  Jack's  spirits  rose;  and  they  all 
went  together  toward  the  house,  where  they  saw  Mr.  Longwood. 


DA  NIELS'S   WIFE'S  DOG.  515 

He  was  at  the  back  of  it,  talking  to  Daniels  ;  and  close  at  hand 
was  a  kennel,  where  a  most  villanous-looking  bull-dog  was  growl 
ing  viciously,  as  he  moved  about  the  short  space  his  chain 
allowed. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  they  heard  Daniels  say :  "  he  is  ugly.  You  see,  I 
am  away  in  the  fields  a  good  part  of  the  time  ;  and  now  and  then 
a  tramp  comes  along,  and  my  wife  she  feels  more  easy  with  the 
dog  at  hand." 

"  So  I  should  imagine,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  If  I  were  a 
tramp,  I  should  feel  like  moving  on.  Don't  let  him  loose  while 
we  are  here." 

"  Never  fear,"  said  the  man.     "  He  shall  be  kept  close." 

The  girls,  by  this  time,  had  made  their  appearance,  ready  for 
church;  and  they  all  set  out.  If  it  had  been  Sunday,  I  suspect 
they  would  have  gone  on  decorously ;  but,  as  it  was,  the  fresh 
air  from  the  hills  around  them  was  too  stimulating  for  a  sober 
walk.  The  boys  vaulted  over  every  pair  of  bars  they  came  to  ; 
and  Carrie  and  Rose,  made  reckless  by  the  taunts  of  Ned  and 
Jack,  ran  along  the  tops  of  the  stone  fences  with  many  a  squeal 
of  terror  and  delight. 

"  That  field  over  there,"  said  Carrie,  pointing  to  the  one  in 
question,  "  is  full  of  wild  strawberries  in  their  season.  I  was  up 
here  last  June,  and  stained  every  dress  I  had." 

"  Not  to  mention  your  face  and  hands,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood. 

"  And  mamma  sat  on  the  fence,"  went  on  Carrie,  "  and  ate 
the  berries  I  brought  her,  out  of  a  cup  made  of  walnut-leaves, 
and  between  times  wrote  a  little  piece  of  poetry." 


THE  RED,   RED  STRAWBERRY. 


Down  in  the  midst  of  the  meadow-grass 

Red-ripe  strawberry  hides  away, 
Fearful  of  hungry  birds  that  pass, 

Swift  in  flight  all  the  summer  day. 

But,  though  these  robbers  have  seen  him  not, 
There  is  a  foe  with  sharper  eyes  : 

Little  brown  feet  push  the  leaves  aside ; 

Little  brown  hands  seize  the  trembling  prize. 


THE    STRAWBERRY    EIELD. 


Little  red  lips  for  a  moment  ope, 

Strawberry's  gone  ere  his  prayers  be  said : 

Vain  was  the  nook  'neath  the  plaintain-leaf ; 
Empty  is  now  his  grassy  bed. 

"  What  a  magnificent  country  this  must  have  been  for  Indian 
fighting- !  "  said  Charlie.  "  These  wild  ravines  and  rugged  hills  no- 
doubt  saw  many  a  hard  tussle." 


THE  PEOPLE   OF  THE  LONG  HOUSE. 


517 


"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Long-wood:  "we  are  on  the  territory  of  what 
was  the  most  powerful  confederation  of  Indians  ever  known  on 
this  continent." 

"  Do  you  mean  the  Five  Nations  ? "    asked  Ned. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.     "  They  were    called    Iroquois   by 
the  French.     Their  own  name  for 
themselves  was   Hodenosaunee ; 
or,    the    '  People    of    the    Long 
House.'  " 

"  What  a  strange  name  !  " 
exclaimed  Rose. 

"  You  will  understand  the 
meaning  of  it  better,  if  you  know 
how  these  people  built  their 
houses.  They  were  not  rude 
wigwams,  such  as  the  inferior 
natives  of  New  England  lived 
in,  but  large  houses,  which  sev 
eral  families  often  occupied. 
They  were  long  and  narrow, 
built  with  rafters,  with  an  open 
ing  at  the  peak  the  whole  length, 
for  the  smoke  to  escape.  Each 

family  built  its  fire,  and  lived  around  it.  The  five  tribes  who  made 
up  the  confederacy  were  stretched  westward,  one  after  the  other, 
in  nearly  a  straight  line,  —  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas, 
Senecas,  —  like  so  many  families  around  the  fires  in  one  of  their 
houses  :  hence  the  name." 


518  A   NEW   WAY  OF  MAKING   CITIZENS. 

11  Were  they  great  fighters  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  They  were  the  terror  of  every  tribe,  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  from  Canada  to  the  Carolinas.  When  they 
lost  a  warrior,  they  adopted  a  prisoner  in  his  place,  and  in  this 
way  kept  their  strength  up." 

"  I  should  have  thought  that  the  prisoners  might  object,"  said 
Kate. 

"  If  they  did,"  said  Charlie,  "  they  had  only  to  say  so,  and 
they  could  be  burned  at  the  stake  instead." 

"  They  most  certainly  would  have  been,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  Besides,  it  was  a  great  honor  to  belong  to  so  great  a  confed 
eracy.  When  the  Dutch  settled  New  York,  they  foolishly  traded 
guns  and  ammunition  with  them  for  beaver-skins,  and  they 
became  far  more  than  ever  the  terror  of  their  enemies. 

"  Lying,  as  they  did,  between  the  French  in  Canada  and  the 
English  in  New  York,  their  friendship  was  courted  by  both.  But 
they  were  too  wily  to  commit  themselves  definitely  to  either, 
though  they  finally  became  much  more  the  friends  of  the  English 
than  of  their  northern  rivals. 

"  One  of  the  most  wonderful  things  in  the  whole  history  of 
this  country  is  the  attempt  of  the  Jesuits  to  convert  these 
savages.  Leaving  their  homes  in  France,  where  many  of  them 
held  high  rank,  they  threw  aside  forever  the  world  in  which  they 
had  lived,  with  all  its  luxuries  and  comforts,  penetrated  the 
forests  to  the  Indian  villages,  and  spent  their  lives  amid  their 
filth  and  squalor,  in  the  hope  of  winning  souls  to  heaven.  Some 
of  them  were  tortured ;  more  than  one  died  at  the  stake ;  but 
none  of  these  things  daunted  their  courage." 


THE  STORY  OF  SEBASTIAN  RASLES.  521 


"  But  they  did  not  succeed,  did  they  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  No,"  said  his  father.  "  The  Five  Nations  declared  for 
the  English,  and  marched  against  the  French  in  Canada.  The 
Hurons,  enemies  of  the  confederacy,  among  whom  the  Jesuits 
had  met  with  the  greatest  success,  were  exterminated.  Those  of 
the  missionaries  who  had  labored  among  the  Iroquois  were  forced 
to  depart,  and  so  the  Jesuit  mission  came  to  an  end." 

"  I  should  imagine,"  said  Will,  "  that  our  friends  of  New 
England,  who  thought  that  Popery  was  born  of  the  Evil  One, 
would  have  looked  with  most  unfriendly  eyes  on  these  efforts  of 
the  Jesuits." 

"  They  did,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  And  what  inten 
sified  their  views  was  the  dread  lest  these  Jesuits,  being  French, 
should  bring  over  the  Indians  to  be  ,  the  allies  of  France  ;  in 
which  case  they  would  not  only  lose  a  profitable  trade,  but  have 
an  active  enemy  at  their  very  doors. 

"  In  the  valley  of  the  Kennebec  dwelt  a  Romish  priest, 
Sebastian  Rasles.  For  nearly  forty  years  he  had  dwelt  among 
the  savages,  hewing  his  wood,  and  drawing  his  water,  and  living 
on  the  same  scanty  fare  as  they.  A  man  of  wonderful  ability, 
he  gained  great  influence  over  them,  and  taught  them  many  of 
the  arts  of  civilization,  while  he  converted  them  to  his  form  of 
belief.  He  appealed  to  their  love  for  color  by  painting  the  walls 
of  his  chapel  in  glowing  hues.  His  life  was  pure  and  blameless. 
Besides  all  this,  he  was  strong  and  expert  with  the  snow-shoes, 
and  in  other  feats  that  gained  the  Indians'  respect. 

"  The  sober-minded  colonists  of  New  England  viewed  with 
great  disfavor  the  success  that  attended  his  efforts.  And  when 


522  THE  BELL  HAS  STOPPED  RINGING. 

they  found  that  he  was  striving  to  make  the  tribes  about  him 
declare  for  the  French,  and  renounce  their  old  alliance,  their  rage 
knew  no  bounds.  They  sent  one  expedition  after  another  against 
the  Indians  who  had  attacked  the  border-towns,  and  at  last  sur 
prised  his  town  at  a  time  when  nearly  all  the  warriors  were  away. 
Rasles  was  slain  by  a  soldier,  although  orders  had  been  given 
that  he  should  be  taken  prisoner,  and  not  injured  ;  and  his  town 
was  burned.  And,  when  his  absent  warriors  returned,  they  found 
his  dead  body,  and  with  many  lamentations  buried  it  at  what 
had  been  the  altar  of  his  ruined  church,  vowing  dire  vengeance 
on  his  murderers. 

"  But  here  we  are  at  our  church,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  break 
ing  off  abruptly.  "  And  the  bell  has  stopped  ringing." 

They  all  trooped  in,  their  cheeks  red  and  glowing  from  the 
exercise  in  the  cool  air.  Half  of  the  congregation  twisted  their 
heads  around  to  see  who  all  these  strangers  were  ;  and  the 
clergyman,  who  had  just  begun  to  read  the  hymn,  stopped  short 
in  surprise  for  an  instant,  at  the  end  of  the  first  line  :  — 

"  Lord  of  the  seasons,  oh  !  how  fair  " 

Tom  and  Will  wickedly  whispered  that  he  was  so  astonished 
at  the  good  looks  of  the  party,  that  this  was  an  involuntary  com 
pliment  ;  but,  as  he  shortly  recovered  and  went  on,  the  next  line 
completely  refuted  their  suggestion  :  — 

"  Thy  works  :    how  vile  thy  creatures  are  !  " 

And  so,  smiling  broadly  at  the  sudden  reversal  of  the  compli 
ment,  they  took  the  seats  which  were  hospitably  offered  them  on 
all  sides. 


JACK  LONGS  FOR  FORBIDDEN  FRUIT.  525 

The  sermon  was  long,  and  somewhat  tedious.  Jack,  I  suspect, 
would  have  ventured  on  a  surreptitious  bite  out  of  a  big  apple 
which  he  had  in  his  pocket ;  but  whenever  he  managed  to  screw 
his  courage  up  to  the  sticking-point,  and  put  his  hand  to  the 
forbidden  fruit  to  bring  it  out,  an  old  lady  of  severe  countenance, 
who  sat  at  the  end  of  his  pew,  looked  at  him  fixedly  through 
her  glasses,  and  he  reluctantly  gave  up  his  little  scheme. 

They  lost  no  time  in  getting  out  after  the  Doxology  had  been 
sung.  Daniel  was  at  the  door  with  the  large  wagon.  Mrs, 
Longwood,  Lou,  and  Gertrude  climbed  into  it,  preferring  to  ride, 
rather  than  walk,  up  the  long  hills.  Mr.  Longwood,  too,  decided 
that  he  was  rather  too  lazy  for  the  walk  ;  but  the  rest  of  the 
party  scouted  the  idea  of  riding,  and  set  out  briskly. 

"  O  Tom  !  "  called  out  his  father  just  as  they  were  starting, 
"  my  old  friend  Dr.  Stone  was  not  at  church,  and  I  hear  that 
he  is  ill.  Take  my  card,  and  leave  it  at  his  house.  Ask  how 
he  is,  and  say  that  I  will  come  to  see  him  in  the  morning." 

"  All  right,  sir,"  said  Tom,  taking  the  card,  and  putting  it  in 
his  pocket.  "  Fellows,  walk  slowly,  and  I  will  overtake  you.  It's 
only  a  step  ;  "  and  he  set  off  on  a  run  for  the  doctor's  house. 

A  couple  of  minutes  brought  him  to  it,  and  a  vigorous  ring 
at  the  bell  brought  a  red-faced  Irish  girl  to  the  door. 

"  How  is  the  doctor  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Faith,  he's  bether  the  day,  sorr,"  said  she. 

"  Well,  give  him  this  card,  and  tell  him  he'll  call  in  the 
morning,"  and  thrusting  it  into  her  hand,  and  turning  around,  he 
ran  on  to  overtake  his  party. 

"  And  it's  in  a  fine  hurry  ye  are,  troth  and  sure,"  said  the 
girl,  as  she  closed  the  door,  and  carried  the  card  to  her  master. 


526 


AN  ANGRY  DOCTOR. 


Now,  Tom  was  like  every  other  boy :  his  pockets  had  in  them 
nearly  every  thing  that  can  be  thought  of,  —  knife,  string,  cards 
that  had  been  handed  him  by  advertising  men  in  the  streets. 
Of  these  latter  he  had  a  half-dozen  that  he  had  tucked  away 
without  ever  looking  at  them  :  so  it  was  not  strange,  if,  in  his 
hurry,  he  left  another  card  than  the  one  his  father  gave  him. 

This  was  what  the  astonished  doctor  read  on  the  pasteboard 
that  his  servant  handed  him  :  — 


ABRAHAM     ISAACS, 
100  BOWERY. 

HIGHEST    PRICE    PAID    FOR    GENTLEMEN    AND 
LADIES'    CAST-OFF   CLOTHING. 

— -•-—  « 

P.  S.  —  LADIES  ATTENDED  BY  MRS.  ISAACS. 


"  Where  is  the  fellow  ?  "  demanded  the  wrathful  doctor,  as  he 
read  it.  He  was  evidently  convalescing.  Being  cross  is  a  sign 
of  returning  health. 

"  Says  he'll  be  afther  callin'  in  the  mornin',  sorr,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  Impudent  rascal !  "  exclaimed  the  angry  man.  "  If  he  does, 
I'll  lay  my  stick  over  his  shoulders  !  " 

Meantime,  Tom,  ignorant  of  his  blunder,  was  well  up  the  hill ; 
and,  as  the  wagon  stopped  at  the  door  of  their  house,  the 
walking-party  were  close  behind  it. 

"  I  wonder  at  what  time  we  are  to  have  dinner,"  said  Will. 

"  I  will  go  and  see,"  said  Carrie  with  alacrity. 


THE  DOMINIE   COMES  OUT  STRONG. 


527 


She  came  back  presently.  "  Four  o'clock,"  she  said.  "  It's 
now  just  half-past  one.  There  is  a  luncheon,  though,  of  sand 
wiches  and  milk  all  ready." 

After  the  edge  of  hunger  had  been  taken  off,  the  girls 
decided  that  they  would  stay  indoors  for  a  time  :  so  they  settled 
themselves  comfortably,  —  one  to 
write,  others  to  read,  while  the 
boys  strolled  out  to  the  barn, 
where  they  found  Daniels  putting 
away  the  horses. 

"  Powerful  sermon,"  said  Dan 
iels,  by  way  of  opening  conver 
sation. 

"Did  you  hear  it?"  asked 
the  boys. 

"  No.  But  the  dominie  gen-  |j 
erally  comes  out  strong  on  sech 
occasions.  He's  a  prime  hand 
at  managing  a  boat,  is  the  dom 
inie.  Nary  man  on  the  river 
can  beat  him.  Last  winter  he 

thought  he'd  try  an  ice-boat.  Never  had  tried  one  ;  but  one  of 
his  deacons  had  a  boat,  and  he'd  often  told  him  to  take  her. 
'  Manage  her  jist  as  ye  do  your  sail-boat,  dominie,'  he  said. 
'Tain't  no  trouble  'tall.' 

"  So  the  dominie  one  afternoon  tried  the  boat.  Weather  had 
been  mighty  cold,  river  smooth  as  glass,  and  that  afternoon  'twas 
kind  o*  warm  and  sunshiny,  though  a  stiff  wind  was  blowing ;  and 


WAITING   FOR   DINNER. 


528  THE  DOMINIE  GOES  ICE-BOATING. 

nigh  half  the  town  was  on  the  ice.  So  he  hysted  up  the  sail 
and,  whist !  away  she  went,  seventy  miles  an  hour.  Pretty  soon 
he  thought  he'd  turn  around  :  so  he  fetched  her  about,  and  away 
she  went  back  on  the  same  track  she'd  come,  seventy  miles  an 
hour  again,  right  toward  the  people  skatin.'  They  see  the  dan 
ger,  and  put  for  the  shore  like  mad  ;  and  sech  a  scrambling  up 
the  banks  was  never  seen. 

"  The  dominie  he  tried  to  change  the  boat's  course,  but 
nothing  he  could  do  would  make  her  change.  She  was  like  a 
runaway  hoss.  Another  minit,  and  he'd  been  in  the  thick  of 
'em  ;  and  he  did  say  he  calcalated  he'd  have  furnished  material 
for  three  funerals  a  day  for  a  fortnit,  if  he  hadn't  jammed  the 
helm  hard  down.  That  fetched  her  ;  but  then  she  began  to  go 
round  in  a  circle,  so  fast  that  he  expected  'twould  twist  his  head 
off.  And  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  over  she  went.  He  don't  go 
ice-boatin'  any  more." 

The  boys  laughed  at  Daniel's  story,  and  then  began  to  amuse 
themselves  in  various  ways,  until,  before  they  realized  it,  a 
couple  of  hours  had  gone,  and  Carrie  came  running  bareheaded 
from  the  house  to  bid  them  come  to  dinner. 

The  trim  woman  seemed  to  have  outdone  herself,  for  the 
table  fairly  groaned  beneath  the  good  things  upon  it.  In  the 
centre  was  a  great  heap  of  red  and  yellow  apples,  and  upon 
them  three  golden  ears  of  corn,  with  the  husks  drawn  back. 

"  The  corn  is  my  idea,"  said  Carrie,  with  satisfaction  in  her 
tone. 

"  It  is  very  pretty,"  said  Ned.  "  Are  we  to  eat  it  with 
pepper  and  salt  ?  or  to  gnaw  it  undressed  from  its  native  cob  ?  " 


A   SINFUL    WASTE  AND  A   SHAME.  529 

"  You  are  not  to  eat  it  at  all,  you  foolish  boy  !  "  said  Carrie 
severely.  "It  is  symbolical  of  the  first  Thanksgiving  Day  ever 
appointed." 

"  Pray  lighten  our  darkness,"  said  Charlie.  "  I  know  nothing 
about  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Carrie,  "  you  must  learn,  that,  when  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  came  to  Plymouth,  they  had  a  very  hard  time.  Their 
provisions  gave  out  so  nearly,  that  one  day  they  had  only  three 
ears  of  corn,  or  some  such  small  number,  left.  And  just  at  this 
time  a  ship  came  from  England  with  provisions ;  and  they 
appointed  a  day  of  thanksgiving,  which  is  the  origin  of  the  day 
we  are  now  keeping."  And  Carrie  took  up  the  knife  and  fork, 
which  she  had  laid  down  in  order  to  give  greater  effect  to  her 
little  speech,  and  hastened  to  make  up  for  lost  time. 

The  trim  woman  hurried  to  and  fro  between  the  kitchen  and 
the  table,  bringing  fresh  dishes,  while  the  chatter  of  many 
tongues  made  a  merry  noise.  But  all  at  once,  as  sometimes 
happens,  there  was  a  sudden  lull ;  and  in  that  moment's  silence 
the  shrill  voice  of  the  old  grandmother  was  heard  distinctly  to 
say,  — 

"That  little  freckled  gal  has  trimmin'  of  real  silk  on  her  frock 
three  inches  wide,  —  a  sinful  waste  and  a  shame.  '  Tremble,  ye 
women  that  are  at  ease  :  strip  you,  gird  sackloth  upon ' "  — 

At  this  a  heavy  step  suddenly  strode  to  the  door,  which 
closed  with  a  bang,  and  they  heard  no  more. 

"  The  question  now  is,"  said  Jack  mischievously,  "  which  of 
you  young  ladies  answers  to  the  description  of  the  '  little 
freckled  gal.' " 


53°  CARRIE   TAKES   THE  FIELD. 

"  I  have  made  a  hurried  examination  of  the  dresses,"  said 
Ned,  "  and  fear  that  it  is  my  own  dear  sister  Lou  who  has 
aroused  the  old  lady.'s  indignation." 

Lou  blushed  very  much  at  rinding  herself  the  object  of  such 
sudden  attention  ;  and  Carrie  came  to  her  aid  by  saying,  "  I  think 
her  dress  is  perfectly  sweet.  People  seem  to  forget  that  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  an  apostolic  injunction  to  dress  well." 

"  Will  you  kindly  let  us  know  which  of  the  apostles  gave 
this  injunction  ? "  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  It  has  escaped  my 
recollection." 

"  Why,  St.  Paul,"  answered  Carrie,  "  when  he  said,  '  Forsake 
not  the  adornment  of  the  person,  as  the  manner  of  some  is'"  — 

At  this  there  was  a  shout  of  laughter ;  and  Mr.  Longwood 
ventured  the  assertion  that  he  hardly  thought  St.  Paul  would  be 
willing  to  be  responsible  for  such  a  command.  "  As  I  remember 
it,"  said  he,  "  it  reads,  '  Forsake  not  the  assembling  of  your 
selves  together.' ' 

By  and  by,  as  they  sat  about  the  table,  the  twilight  began  to 
thicken  ;  and,  before  they  had  reached  the  nuts  and  raisins,  it  was 
quite  dark.  Then  some  one  suggested  that  Mr.  Longwood  should 
give  them  another  of  his  stories. 


CHAPTER   V. 

"  TELL  us  of  some  old 
sea-dog,"  said  Jack  indis 
tinctly,  his  teeth  fast  in  a 
great  red  apple. 

"There  was  a  boy,"  be 
gan  Mr.  Longwood,  "whom 
his  parents  intended  should 
be  a  great  scholar,  but 
whose  mind  was  set  on 
going  to  sea." 

"  Ah ! "  interrupted  Jack. 
"Runs  away  —  clothes  in 
handkerchief — nearest  sea 
port  —  ships  before  the 
mast  — mutiny  —  kills  offi 
cers  —  takes  command  —  turns  pirate  many  years  —  hands  red 
with  blood  —  great  grizzled  beard  —  lots  of  money  —  comes  home 
—  no  one  knows  him  —  nabob  from  the  East  —  marries  beautiful 
young  girl  —  maltreats  her  —  neighbors  hear  shrieks  at  night  — - 

531 


532  JACK  IS  ABASHED. 


break   in,    find   papers   showing   his   past   history  —  hang    him  — 
strong  moral  —  curtain  falls." 

"  Upon    my   word,  Jack,"   said   Will,  "  you    are    not   very  polite 
to  interrupt  Mr.  Longwood  in  that  way." 

"  I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  Jack  very  much  abashed.  "  I  did 
not  mean  to  be  rude.  Please  go  on." 

"  This  boy,  then,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  did  not  run  away, 
but  like  a  sensible  fellow  told  his  parents  of  his  wishes,  and  with 
their  aid  found  a  good  ship,  and  a  good  captain,  and  at  fifteen 
went  to  sea.  And  he  soon  showed  that  he  was  made  of  good 
stuff ;  for  in  three  years,  and  when  he  was  only  eighteen,  he  won 
the  position  of  first  mate. 

"  On  his  very  first  voyage  as  mate  a  mutiny  broke  out.  The 
men  seized  the  captain,  and  were  just  throwing  him  overboard, 
when  our  hero,  hearing  the  scuffling  on  deck,  rushed  from  below, 
and  attacking  the  mutineers,  backed  only  by  the  second-mate  and 
one  old  sailor,  after  a  hard  fight,  drove  them  into  the  bows,  and 
secured  the  ringleaders  in  irons. 

"  And  the  owners  of  the  vessel,  seeing  that  here  was  a  man 
who  could  not  only  sail  a  ship,  but  command  one,  lost  no  time 
in  making  him  captain." 

"  You  have  not  told  us  his  name,"  said  Gertrude. 

"  His  name  was  William  Bainbridge,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  He  is  more  generally  known  in  history  as  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge  of  the  United  States  navy.  The  year  in  which,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  was  made  captain,  was  1793.  These  were 
the  days  when  the  country  was  recovering  from  the  Revolutionary 
war,  when  we  had  no  navy,  when  the  seas  swarmed  with  pirates 


BAINBRIDGE  SMELLS  BURNT  POWDER.  533 

and  privateers,  and  every  merchant-ship  left  port  well  armed,  and 
ready  to  fight  jor  fly,  according  to  the  size  of  the  enemy. 

"  And  so,  as  you  may  imagine,  it  was  not  very  long  before 
Capt.  Bainbridge  had  a  chance  to  smell  burnt  powder.  He 
was  commanding  the  good  ship  '  Hope,'  and  was  on  his  way 
from  Bordeaux  to  St.  Thomas,  when  he  was  attacked  by  a 
schooner  carrying  eight  heavy  guns.  '  The  Hope '  had  but  four 
nine-pounders  and  a  crew  of  eleven,  against  the  other's  thirty. 
But  the  eleven  managed  their  small  weapons  with  such  skill,  that 
they  cut  the  schooner's  rigging  to  pieces,  tore  away  her  spars,  and 
riddled  her  hull,  till  she  hauled  down  her  flag,  and  struck. 

"His  men  were  wild  to  board  her,  and  carry  her  as  a  prize 
into  port ;  but  Capt.  Bainbridge  reflected  that  his  first  duty 
was  to  the  owners  of  his  vessel,  and  that  he  must  get  the  valua 
ble  cargo  he  had  aboard  safe  into  harbor  without  loss  of  time. 
So  putting  up  his  helm,  he  sailed  close  by  the  conquered  craft, 
and,  hailing  her,  ordered  her  captain,  in  his  most  contemptuous 
tones,  to  go  about  his  business,  and  to  tell  his  masters,  that,  when 
they  wanted  his  ship,  they  must  send  a  greater  force,  or  a  more 
skilful  commander  ;  and  so  sailed  away." 

"  How  enraged  the  schooner's  captain  must  have  been  !  "  said 
Will. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  No  doubt  he  had  calculated  on 
making  a  rich  haul,  and  he  came  to  signal  grief.  But  we  must 
leave  him  to  repair  damages,  and  go  on  with  Capt.  Bainbridge  and 
his  fortunes. 

"  A  few  voyages  after  this  he  was  stopped  by  a  British  man- 
of-war,  whose  lieutenant  boarded  him,  and  ordered  his  crew  to  be 


534  THE  DAYS   OF  THE  PRESS-GANG. 

mustered,  that  they  might  press  any  British  seamen  whom  he 
might  chance  to  have." 

"  Had  they  any  right  to  do  this  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  It  was  the  old  case  of  the  strong  and  the  weak,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  The  British  claimed  the  right  to  seize  their  seamen 
wherever  they  could  be  found,  and  the  Americans  were  then  too 
too  weak  to  resist.  They  have  long  ago  been  forced  to  aban 
don  the  claim.  Impressment  of  seaman  has  from  time  imme 
morial  enraged  Americans.  In  1748,  when  we  were  colonies  of 
Great  Britain,  Commodore  Knowles,  who  was  in  command  of 
some  British  war-ships  in  New  England,  sent  his  boats  to  Boston 
Harbor,  and  seized  all  the  seamen  on  the  ships  and  wharves. 
The  whole  town  rose  in  anger.  The  governor  called  out  the 
militia  to  restore  order  ;  but  they  refused  to  act,  and  the  gov 
ernor,  in  terror,  fled  to  the  castle  for  protection  ;  while  all  the 
officers  of  the  ships  on  shore  were  seized,  and  held  as  hostages 
for  the  return  of  the  pressed  men." 

"  And  how  was  it  all  settled  ? "  asked  Carrie. 

"  The  pressed  men  were  returned,  and  the  affair  blew  over 
after  a  time,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  But  to  get  back  to  our 
story.  You  may  imagine  the  wrath  with  which  Capt.  Bain- 
bridge  found  himself  obliged  to  summon  his  men.  The  first  one 
called  was  Allen  McKinsey,  the  first  mate.  The  British  officer 
declared  that  the  man  was  Scotch.  Bainbridge  denied  it,  and 
said  that  he  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  On  the  British  lieuten 
ant  announcing  that  he  should  carry  him  off,  Bainbridge  turned 
to  McKinsey,  and  told  him  to  find  pistols  and  a  sabre  in  his  cabin 
to  defend  himself.  The  mate  lost  no  time  in  getting  the 


BAINBRIDGE   TAKES   THE  LAW  INTO  HIS  OWN  HANDS.       537 

weapons,  and  announced  that  he  would  shoot  the  first  man  who 
touched  him.  Seeing  that  he  had  a  tough  subject  to  handle, 
the  lieutenant  discreetly  abandoned  his  designs  on  the  mate,  and 
took,  instead,  a  common  seaman. 

"  Bainbridge  remonstrated  ;  stated  that  his  vessel  was  insuf 
ficiently  manned,  and  that  its  safety  was  in  danger  if  his  force 
were  lessened.  Finding  that  he  could  not  save  his  man,  he 
boldly  declared  to  the  British  officer  that  he  would  stop  the  first 
English  merchant-vessel  he  met,  and  take  off  a  man  to  supply 
his  place.  The  lieutenant  remarked,  with  a  sneer,  that  he  would 
never  dare  to  do  such  an  illegal  thing,  and  went  over  the  side 
into  his  boat,  and  left  with  his  victim. 


FIRED  A   SHOT  ACROSS   HER  BOWS. 


"  Five  days  after,  Bainbridge  fell  in  with  an  armed  English 
brig.  He  mustered  his  crew,  cleared  his  decks  for  action,  and 
made  her  lie  to  by  firing  a  shot  across  her  bow.  He  then  trained 


538  A   MELANCHOLY  DRY. 


his  guns  upon  her,  while  his  first  mate,  McKinsey,  went  aboard 
in  a  small  boat,  seized  an  able-bodied  sailor,  and  brought  him 
off".  Then,  hailing  the  captain  of  the  English  vessel,  he  directed 
him  to  report  that  Capt.  William  Bainbridge  had  seized  one  of 
his  Majesty's  subjects  in  retaliation  for  a  seaman  taken  from  the 
American  ship  '  Hope '  by  Lieut.  Norton  of  '  The  Indefatigable 
Razee,'  commanded  by  Sir  Edward  Pellew." 

"  What  a  plucky  fellow  he  was  !  "  said  Charlie. 

"  Such  acts  as  these,  of  course,  soon  caused  him  to  be  known 
as  a  brave  man,  and  one  fitted  for  an  emergency ;  and  so,  as 
the  government  was  just  fitting  out  ships  as  the  beginning  of  a 
navy,  he  was  chosen  to  command  one. 

"  We  have  no  time  now  to  tell  of  all  his  doings, — -of  how  at 
first  he  was  unfortunate,  and  was  captured,  —  but  will  hurry  on  to 
the  year  1800,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  frigate  '  George 
Washington,'  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers 
the  tribute  paid  every  year  by  the  United  States." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  boys,  "  did  the  United  States  pay 
tribute,  and  to  the  Dey  of  Algiers  ?  It's  impossible." 

"  Nevertheless,  it  is  so,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  It  was  to 
protect  American  merchant-vessels  from  the  Barbary  pirates. 
You  must  remember  that  those  were  the  early  days  of  the 
Republic,  before  she  had  waxed  strong,  and  shown  her  teeth. 
And  she  was  not  alone  in  paying  tribute  :  England  and  France 
endured  the  same  humiliation. 

"  Capt.  Bainbridge  reached  Algiers,  and  handed  over  the 
money  to  the  American  consul.  The  Dey  was  at  this  time  in 
great  trouble.  His  sovereign  lord  and  master,  the  Sultan  of 


A   DEY  IN  TROUBLE. 


539 


BAINBRIDGE    AND   THE    DEY. 


Turkey,  was    in   a   rage  with   him   because    he   had   concluded   a 


540  A   HUMILIATING  DEMAND. 

peace  with  France  at  the  time  that  the  Sultan  was  fighting 
Napoleon  in  Egypt ;  and  the  Dey  was  in  fear  that  he  should 
lose  not  only  his  office,  but  his  head.  He  demanded  that  Capt. 
Bainbridge  should  carry  for  him  to  Constantinople  a  present 
to  the  Sultan,  which  he  hoped  would  appease  his  rage.  Capt. 
Bainbridge  politely  regretted  that  his  orders  would  not  allow  him 
to  do  this.  The  Dey  fell  into  a  fury.  '  You  pay  me  tribute,' 
he  shouted,  '  and  by  this  you  become  my  slaves.  I  will  order 
you  where  I  think  proper.' 

"  Besides,  he  gave  Bainbridge  distinctly  to  understand  that  his 
ship  was  in  the  harbor  under  the  fire  of  all  the  guns  of  his 
forts,  and  that,  if  he  attempted  to  sail,  she  should  be  blown  in 
pieces,  and  that  he  and  his  crew  should  be  cast  iirto  prison. 
Every  American  merchant-ship,  too,  in  the  Mediterranean,  would 
at  once  fall  before  the  swarms  of  Barbary  pirates.  There  was  no 
help  for  it.  '  The  George  Washington  '  had  to  go  to  Constan 
tinople.  Bainbridge,  in  his  report,  said,  '  I  hope  I  may  never 
again  be  sent  to  Algiers  with  tribute,  unless  I  am  authorized  to 
deliver  it  from  the  mouth  of  our  cannon.' ' 

"  If  I  had  been  he,"  said  Jack,  who  had  been  slowly  recover 
ing  his  spirits,  "  I  would  have  taken  the  presents  for  the  Sultan 
on  board,  and  as  soon  as  I  got  out  of  the  harbor  I  would  have 
cut  stick,  and  let  the  Sultan  whistle." 

"  Your  language  is  highly  enigmatical,"  said  Tom.  "  Do  I 
gather  that  you  would  have  run  away  with  the  presents  ? " 

"  That's  about  the  size  of  it,"  responded  Jack  the  incorrigible. 

"  That  would  have  been  a  very  clever  thing  to  do,"  said 
Carrie  sarcastically.  "  It  would  have  taken  the  Ace  about  a 


TWO  HUNDRED  MOSLEM  PASSENGERS. 


541 


month  to  find   out  what  he   had   done  ;   and   then   the   American 
merchant-ships  would  all  have  had  a  sweet  time." 

"  May  I  inquire  whom  you  mean  by  the  Ace  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  You  know  per 
fectly  well,  you  foolish 
boy,"  said  Carrie  with 
great  dignity.  "  The 
man,  whatever  his  name 
was,  would  of  course 
have  retaliated  on  every 
American  ship  that  fell 
in  his  way.  , 

Jack  being  suffi 
ciently  subdued  by 
this  vigorous  attack, 
Mr.  Longwood  took 
up  the  thread  of  his 
story  again. 

"  So  The  George 
Washington  '  sailed  for 
Constantinople  with  five 
or  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  money,  and 
some  two  hundred  Mos 
lem  passengers.  You 
can  well  imagine  that 
the  sailors  were  not  in 
the  best  humor  at  the  work  they  were  doing,  and  the  poor  pas 


MOSLEMS   AT    PRAYER. 


542  JACK  TAR   TACKS  HIS  SHIP. 

sengers  had  a  rather  hard  time  of  it.  The  Moslems,  as  you 
know,  are  very  rigid  in  their  prayers,  and  pray  always  with  their 
faces  toward  Mecca.  Five  times  a  day  they  swarmed  the  decks, 
with  their  faces  turned  eastward.  Hardly  would  they  have  begun, 
before  Jack  Tar  would  find  it  necessary  to  tack  the  ship,  when 
an  entire  re-arrangement  on  the  part  of  the  praying  band  would 
become  imperative.  At  last  the*  ship  at  these  times  described 
such  an  erratic  course,  and  it  grew  so  difficult  to  tell  which  was 
east,  that  they  found  it  necessary  to  station  one  of  the  faithful  at 
the  binnacle,  who,  with  one  eye  on  the  compass,  pointed  with 
outstretched  arm  in  the  desired  direction. 

"  Imagine  the  joy  of   those  wicked  sailors,"  said  Kate. 

"  '  The  George  Washington '  was  fifty-nine  days  in  making 
the  passage  to  Constantinople, — a  passage  alike  tedious  to  pas 
sengers  and  crew,  who  must  all  have  rejoiced  when  the  anchor 
dropped  in  the  lower  part  of  the  harbor.  An  official  at  once 
came  alongside,  and  requested  to  know  from  what  country  the 
vessel  came.  He  was  answered,  '  From  the  United  States.'  After 
a  short  absence  he  returned,  and  said  that  no  such  country  was 
known  to  them,  and  asked  for  fuller  information.  Bainbridge 
answered  that  he  came  from  the  New  World  discovered  by 
Columbus.  Upon  this  information,  the  captain  of  the  Porte  was 
ordered  to  conduct  the  frigate  into  the  inner  harbor.  As  it 

passed  the  Sultan's  palace,   Bainbridge  saluted    it  with   twenty-one 

\ 

guns,  at  which  his  Sultanic  Majesty  was  highly  pleased.  He  also 
observed  the  American  flag  with  great  satisfaction,  and  said  that 
the  two  nations  must  have  somewhat  in  common,  as  each  had.  a 
part  of  the  heavenly  bodies  in  their  flag. 


THE  PACHA   LOSES  HIS   TEMPER.  543 

"  Throughout  his  whole  stay  Bainbridge  was  treated  with  the 
utmost  consideration.  He  was  the  guest  of  the  Capudan  Pacha, 
or  Turkish  Admiral ;  and  when  his  ship  left  port,  on  its  return, 
it  received  a  salute  from  a  fortress  which  had  never  fired  one, 
except  to  the  admiral  himself;  and  by  this  high  official  he  was 
presented  with  a  firmin" 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  Gertrude. 

"  A  kind  of  passport,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  which,  being 
granted  only  by  the  Sultan,  would  protect  him  in  any  part  of 
his  dominions. 

"  The  treatment  of  the  ambassador  of  the  Dey  was  very 
different  from  that  received  by  Capt.  Bainbridge.  He  was 
ordered  to  the  admiral's  ship,  and,  having  made  due  tender  of 
the  lions  and  tigers  and  money  he  had  brought,  presented  his 
master's  letter.  The  admiral  seized  it  in  a  fury,  first  spat  upon 
it,  and  then  stamped  on  it,  and  bade  him  go  back  and  tell  his 
master,  that  unless  he  declared  war  with  France  instantly,  and 
sent  to  the  Sultan  at  Constantinople,  within  sixty  days,  a  million 
piastres  for  his  impudence,  matters  would  go  hardly  with  him. 
Naturally  the  ambassador  was  in  haste  to  be  gone. 

"  '  The  George  Washington,'  as  if  wishing  to  be  through  with 
the  disagreeable  business  on  which  she  was  engaged,  made  quick 
time  on  her  return -voyage,  and  in  twenty-one  days  was  anchored 
in  the  Bay  of  Algiers,  — -  this  time,  out  of  range  of  the  batteries 
on  shore.  This  position  did  not  suit  the  Dey  at  all.  He  had 
forgotten  the  solemn  oath  he  swore,  not  to  ask  Bainbridge  to  do 
any  further  service  for  him,  and  would  fain  have  made  him  carry 
back  the  million  piastres." 


544 


THE  DEY  ALSO  BECOMES  ANGRY. 


"  I  hope  he  didn't  do  it,"  exclaimed  Carrie. 

''You  shall  hear,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood.  "  Capt. 
Bainbridge  refused,  and 
presently  waited  upon  the 
Dey.  He  was  in  a  state 
of  fury  at  being  thwarted 
in  his  plans,  and  broke 
forth  in  the  wildest  way. 
About  him  stood  his  fifty 
janizaries  ready  to  do  his 
bidding  at  a  nod.  Bain- 
bridge,  knowing  that  his 
life  was  hardly  worth  a 
moment's  purchase,  pulled 
out  the  firmin  which  had 
been  given  him  at  Constan 
tinople.  The  effect  on  the 
Dey  was  magical.  His  rage 
ceased  instantly,  and  he 
became  even  crouching  in 
his  manner." 

"  That  firmin  did  the 
business  nicely,"  said  Tom. 
"  I  suppose  Bainbridge  was 
not  sorry  to  see  the  last  of 
the  old  scoundrel." 

"  He  was  free  from  this  man,"  said   Mr.  Longwood ;    "  but  he 


SCENE   IN   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


A    WHOLE  FLEET  OF  PIRATES.  547 

was  to  see  much  more  of  another  as  bad,  and  he,  too,  in  a  most 
disagreeable  fashion.  It  was  several  years  later.  There  was  then 
a  fleet  of  American  men-of-war  in  the  Mediterranean,  who  were 
making  things  very  hot  for  the  Barbary  pirates.  '  The  Philadel 
phia,'  which  Bainbridge  commanded,  had  sighted  a  suspicious  sail 
on  the  horizon,  had  come  within  range,  and  was  blazing  away 
at  her  with  great  vigor,  when  suddenly  she  ran  aground  on  a 
sunken  ledge.  The  men  did  their  best  to  get  her  off;  but  her 
speed  had  driven  her  high  up,  and,  though  they  threw  overboard 
guns  and  every  thing  else  they  could  to  lighten  her,  she  was 
immovable,  and  finally  careened,  and  lay  broadside  on  the  ledge. 

"  Such  guns  as  they  now  had  left,  pointed  toward  the  sky ; 
and  a  whole  fleet  of  pirates  was  about  them,  peppering  away  with 
all  their  might.  They  stood  it  for  five  hours,  during  which  time 
they  threw  overboard  all  the  small  arms,  and  floated  the  magazine, 
and  then  they  hauled  down  their  flag,  and  surrendered.  A  wild 
rabble  boarded  them  at  once,  stealing  even  their  clothing  off  their 
backs.  Ignominiously  enough  they  were  carried  into  Tripoli,  and 
led  before  the  Bashaw,  who  ordered  them  all  into  confinement. 
Nineteen  long  months  passed  before  they  were  set  at  liberty. 

"  Dreary  times  were  these  for  them  all.  By  day  the  men 
were  forced  to  work  on  the  fortifications  :  at  night  they  were  all 
carefully  locked  up. 

"  The  Bashaw  was  most  anxious  to  have  the  earthworks  hur 
ried  forward ;  for  he  feared  lest  the  remaining  vessels  of  the 
American  fleet  should  knock  his  town  about  his  ears  before  he 
could  get  into  a  position  to  defend  it.  So  he  offered  money  for 
what  they  did,  to  the  men  who  would  work  when  the  day's  labor 


548 


JACK   TAR  MAKES  HIMSELF  OBNOXIOUS. 


was  ended.     Poor  Jack  was  only  too  glad    to    have    a    little    cashr 
which   soon    found    its   way    into    the    hands    of    the    sellers    of 


AN  EASTERN   BAZAAR. 


brandy ;   while    Jack   himself,    uproariously  drunk,    reeled   through 
the  streets  of  Tripoli.     The  drinking  of  spirituous  liquors  is   for- 


A    TASTE   OF  THE  BASTINADO.  549 

bidden  all  true  Moslems  ;  and  these  sailor  habits  excited  great 
contempt  in  the  minds  of  the  Tripolitans,  which  they  showed  in 
their  usual  way  of  expressing  contempt,  —  spitting  in  the  faces. 
Jack  was  not  the  man  to  stand  this  ;  and  a  bruised  and  damaged 
follower  of  the  prophet  generally  made  prompt  complaint  at  the 


THE    BASTINADO. 


guard,    and    the     bastinado    was    as    promptly    ordered    for    the 
offender." 

"  I  have  heard  of  that  punishment,"  said  Will.  "  Is  not  that 
the  one  where  knees  and  ankles  are  tied  fast,  and  the  victim  is 
held  while  the  bare  soles  of  his  feet  are  beaten  with  a  flat  board 
or  paddle  ? " 


55°  A   FRIENDLY  EXECUTIONER. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  At  times  the  blows  are  so 
heavy,  that  the  blood  is  driven  through  the  top  of  the  foot." 

"  I  should  think  the  men  would  soon  have  been  disabled  by 
such  treatment." 

"  They  made  friends  of  the  under  slave-driver  who  adminis 
tered  the  punishment.  The  chief  slave-driver  was  much  too 
dignified  to  be  present  while  this  was  going  on.  He  stood  out 
side,  and  told  by  the  sound,  and  by  the  cries  of  the  victims,  that 
the  blows  were  well  laid  on.  The  manner  in  which  it  was 
actually  done  was  for  the  executioner  to  call  in  harsh  tones  for 
two  of  the  sailors  to  hold  the  one  to  be  bastinadoed.  A  third 
held  five  or  six  straw  mats  over  the  soles  of  his  feet,  which  were 
then  beaten  furiously,  while  Jack  himself  shouted  as  if  under 
going  tortures." 

"  What  a  jolly  idea !  "  said  all  the  boys.  "  The  under  slave- 
driver  must  have  been  a  very  decent  fellow." 

"  Possibly  his  feelings  may  have  been  softened  by  a  little 
money  from  the  sailors,"  said  Carrie. 

"  It  may  have  been  so,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  But  we  will 
give  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt." 

"  Were  the  officers  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  men  ? " 
asked  Jack. 

"  Oh,  no !  "  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  They  had  quarters  by 
themselves,  and  at  times  had  chances  to  see  somewhat  of  the 
city  and  surrounding  country.  Their  treatment  varied  according 
to  the  temper  of  the  Bashaw.  The  months  were  long  and  dreary 
enough  to  them. 

"  They  made  plan  after  plan  to  escape  ;    but  each  fell  through. 


DECATUR   UNDERTAKES  A    CAPTURE. 


551 


To   add   to   their   chagrin,    the    Tripolitans 
\\    succeeded   in  dragging  'The   Philadelphia' 

mfll      I      1 

U  I   i    off  the  rocks,  bringing  her  into  the  harbor, 
and  repairing  her.     There  she  lay  in  plain 
sight,  a  beautiful  new  frigate,  in  the  hands 
of    the    enemy.       It    was    more    than 
they  could  stand.      By  the  aid  of  in 
visible  ink,   Bainbridge  communicated 
with  Commodore  Preble,  and  sketched 
out  a  plan  for  her  destruc 
tion.     Preble  approved,  and 
intrusted  the  execution  to 
Lieut.  Decatur. 

"  About  midnight  one 
uark  night,  the  Tripolitan 
watch  on  '  The  Philadel 
phia  '  observed  a  small 
ketch  bungling  into  the 
harbor,  and  so  carelessly 
managed,  that  they  feared 
that  she  would  foul  with 
them.  They  called  out  to 
her  to  anchor,  or  they  would 
fire  into  her ;  but  a  Malay 
pilot  called  back  that  she 
had  lost  her  anchors.  The 
wind  dying  away,  she  lay 
becalmed  some  fifty  feet 


AN    EASTERN    STREET. 


552 


THE   TRIPOLITANS  ARE  SURPRISED. 


distant;   and  the  guard,  seeing  a  boat  lowered,  apparently  to  tow 
her  off,  gave  her  no  further  thought.     The  boat,  however,  quietly 


A  TRIPOLITAN   SOLDIER. 


made  fast  the  end  of  the  rope  it  carried,  to  the  anchor-chains  of 
the  frigate.  Stalwart  arms  pulled  lustily  on  it  from  the  ketch  ;  and, 
before  the  sentries  realized  what  was  being  done,  she  was  along 
side,  and  seventy  men,  sword  in  hand,  had  leaped  from  her  deck. 


A   HALF-FORGOTTEN  ANECDOTE.  553 

"  The  startled  crew  of  '  The  Philadelphia,'  roused  from  sleep, 
retreated  fighting  to  the  forecastle.  The  struggle  was  bitter,  but 
short.  Those  who  were  not  sabred  leaped  into  the  sea.  Then 
began  the  work  of  destruction.  Every  man  had  been  assigned 
his  task  before  setting  out,  and  almost  in  an  instant  the  ship 
was  in  a  blaze  in  a  hundred  places.-  The  batteries  on  shore, 
roused  by  the  firing  and  the  flames,  awoke,  and  began  to  pour 
shot  and  shell  into  the  ketch,  which  was  now  a  beautiful  target 
for  their  aim.  Fortunately  the  wind  sprung  up,  and  she  made 
good  her  escape  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  and  with  but 
four  wounded." 

"  What  a  daring  deed  it  was !  "  said  Will.  "  It  would  be  great 
fun  to  meet  the  men  who  figured  in  such  acts  as  these,  and  get 
them  talking.  They  would  have  any  quantity  of  stories  of  their 
experiences." 

"  There  is  one  anecdote  about  this  very  enterprise  that  I  have 
heard,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood,  who  had  sat  silent  all  the  evening. 
"  Mr.  Longwood  seems  to  have  forgotten  it." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  they  asked. 

"  When  Decatur  called  for  volunteers  to  go  on  his  expedi 
tion,  of  course  twice  the  number  stepped  forward  that  were 
needed.  So  he  selected  such  as  he  thought  most  suited  for  the 
work  in  hand.  Among  those  passed  by  was  a  slender  young 
fellow  of  nineteen,  a  Quaker." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  aboard  a  man-of-war  is  a  strange  place 
to  find  a  Quaker,"  said  Carrie.  "  I  thought  they  did  not  believe 
in  fighting." 

"  Nor   do   they,"    said    Mrs.    Longwood.     "  This   fellow  had,  I 


554  A   FIGHTING   QUAKER. 

believe,  committed  some  slight  fault,  and,  rather  than  meet 
reproof  at  the  hands  of  his  elders,  had  gone  to  sea." 

"  Perhaps  he  spoke  in  meeting,"  suggested  Jack. 

"  I  cannot  say,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood,  smiling.  "  At  all  events, 
he  was  so  much  disappointed  at  being  left  behind,  that  he  impor 
tuned  the  lieutenant,  as  he  was  going  over  the  side,  to  take  him. 

"  '  Why  do  you  wish  to  go  ? '  asked  Decatur  sternly. 

"  His  early  training  was  too  much  for  the  young  Quaker. 
He  could  not  say  that  he  wanted  to  fight :  Qo  he  stammered  out 
that  he  would  '  like  to  see  the  parts.' ' 

"  Did  they  take  him  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  Yes  ;  and  he  led  the  boarders,  ana  was  always  afterward  a 
prime  favorite  with  the  men." 

"  At  last  the  nineteen  long  months  came  to  a  close,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  taking  up  the  story,  "  and  Bainbridge  was  again  a 
free  man.  The  American  squadron  had  bombarded  the  city  two 
or  three  times,  and  brought  the  Bashaw  to  beg  for  peace. 
Though  the  bombardment  was  most  efficacious  toward  our  hero's 
liberation,  it  nearly  caused  his  death  ;  for  a  round  shot  from  one 
of  the  American  guns  fell  in  the  prison  within  a  foot  of  him, 
throwing  him  down,  and  burying  him  beneath  nearly  a  ton  of 
stone  and  mortar  which  it  tore  from  the  walls  in  its  passage." 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Bainbridge  had  better  luck  after  he 
at  last  bade  good-by  to  Africa,"  said  Tom. 

"  He  had  a  very  quiet  time,  at  all  events,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood  ;  "  for  the  country  was  at  peace.  He  superintended  one  or 
two  navy-yards,  and  even,  to  patch  his  torn  fortunes,  obtained 
leave  of  absence,  and  made  one  or  two  voyages  in  the  merchant- 


ONCE  MORE  AT  SEA. 


555 


service.     Presently   all   this   peaceful   work   was   broken    up.     Ths 
war  of    1812  began. 

"  Bainbridge  was  once    more  in    command    of  a   frigate.     And 
now  came  the  most  brilliant  action  of  his  whole  life." 


ONCE   MORE  AT   SEA. 


The  boys  all  stirred  in  their. chairs  expectantly ;  and  Gertrude, 
holding  up  her  crewel-work  to  examine  it  critically  by  the  light 
of  the  lamp,  exclaimed,  — 


556  TWENTY-SIX  MINUTES  PAST  ONE. 

"  I    never   saw  such   things   as   boys !     You   know  that   some 
thing  bloodthirsty  is  coming,  and  yet  you  are  as    pleased   as   can 
be  at  the  idea  of  hearing  it." 

"  You  are  much  worse  than  boys,  or  than  sailors  and  soldiers 
even,"  said  Jack,  glancing  at  her  work.  "  They  do  cruel  things 
for  their  country's  good  only.  You  do  them  for  your  personal 
pleasure." 

"  That  is  very  poor,  Jack,"  said  Charlie :  "  not  even  worth 
smiling  at.  —  Please  go  on,  Mr.  Longwood." 

"  It  was  in  the  month  of  December  that  '  The  Constitution/ 
which  he  commanded,  was  cruising  off  the  Brazilian  coast,  when 
she  fell  in  with  the  British  frigate  '  Java.'  Bainbridge's  report  of 
the  action  that  followed  is  a  model  description.  —  Tom,  you  will 
find  a  copy  of  his  life  somewhere  about.  I  think  it  is  lying  on 
the  table.  I  was  looking  it  over  only  an  hour  or  two  ago. 

"  Here  is  the  place,"  he  went  on,  turning  over  the  leaves  as 
Tom  handed  him  the  book.  "  He  tells  at  first  of  sighting  her ; 
then  says,  — 

"  '  At  twenty-six  minutes  past  one  P.M.,  being  sufficiently  from 
the  land,  and  finding  the  ship  to  be  an  English  frigate,  took  in 
the  mainsail  and  royals,  tacked  ship,  and  stood  for  the  enemy. 

"  '  At  fifty  minutes  past  one,  the  enemy  bore  down  with  an 
intention  of  raking  us,  which  we  avoided  by  wearing.  A  general 
action  with  round  and  grape  then  commenced,  the  enemy  keep 
ing  at  a  much  greater  distance  than  I  wished ;  but  could  not 
bring  him  to  a  closer  action. 

"  '  At  ten  minutes  past  two,  commenced  the  action  within 
good  grape  or  canister  distance,  the  enemy  to  windward,  but  much 


DETERMINED    TO   CLOSE    WITH  THE  ENEMY. 


557 


farther  than  I  wished.  At  thirty  minutes  past  two,  our  wheel 
was  shot  entirely  away.  At  forty  minutes  past  two,  determined 
to  close  with  the  enemy,  notwithstanding  his  raking.  Set  the 


THE  OFFICERS   OF  THE   "JAVA"   SURRENDER  THEIR   SWORDS. 

fore  and  main  sail,  and  luffed  up  close  to  him.  At  fifty  minutes 
past  two,  the  enemy's  jib-boom  got  foul  of  our  mizzen  rigging. 
At  three,  the  head  of  the  enemy's  jib-boom,  and  bowsprit,  were 


558  HE  MOST  PRUDENTLY  STRUCK  HIS  FLAG. 

shot  away  by  us.  At  five  minutes  past  three,  shot  away  the 
enemy's  foremast  by  the  board.  At  fifteen  minutes  past  three, 
shot  away  his  main  topmast  just  above  the  cap.  At  forty  min 
utes  past  three,  shot  away  the  gaft  and  spancker-boom.  At  fifty- 
five  minutes  past  three,  shot  away  his  mizzen-mast  nearly  by 
the  board.  At  five  minutes  past  four,  having  silenced  the  fire 
of  the  enemy  completely,  and  his  colors  in  the  main  rigging 
being  down,  we  supposed  he  had  struck  ;  we  then  hauled  down 
courses,  and  shot  ahead  to  repair  our  rigging,  which  was 
extremely  cut,  leaving  the  enemy  a  complete  wreck  ;  soon  after 
ward  discovered  the  enemy's  flag  was  still  flying.  Hove  to,  to 
repair  some  of  our  damage.  At  twenty  minutes  past  four,  wore 
ship,  and  stood  for  the  enemy.  At  twenty-five  minutes  past  five, 
got  very  close  to  the  enemy  in  a  very  effectual  raking  position, 
athwart  his  bows,  and  when  about  to  fire,  he  most  prudently 
struck  his  flag.' ' 

"  Hurrah !  "  shouted  Jack  enthusiastically,  waving  his  hand 
above  his  head.  "  I  knew  we'd  win.  What  a  fine  old  cock 
Bainbridge  must  have  been  !  — 

'  Simon  was  old  but  his  heart  itt  was  bold 

His  ordinance  he  laid  right  lowe 
He  put  in  chaine  full  nine  yardes  long 

With  other  great  shott  less  and  moe 
And  he  lette  goe  his  great  gunnes  shott 

So  well  he  settled  itt  with  his  ee 
The  first  sight  that  Sir  Andrew  sawe 

He  see  his  pinnace  sunke  in  the  sea.' " 

"  Jack,"    said  Tom,    "  evidently   imagines   that   he   is   back   in 


THE  END   OF  THE  "JAVA."  561 

school.  —  Hastings,  I  mark  you  ten  for  declamation.  You  have 
done  creditably." 

"  The  commander  of  the  English  frigate  had  as  hard  a  lot  as 
old  Sir  Andrew  Barton  of  whom  Jack  tells  us,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  He  saw  his  ship  blown  up  by  his  enemy,  and  he  him 
self  died  of  wounds  received  in  the  fight." 

"  Well,  let  us  leave  the  table,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  For 
I  imagine  that  Mrs.  Daniels  would  like  to  clear  away  the  remains 
of  our  dinner." 


CHAPTER  VI. 


"  FOR  my  part,"  said  Charlie,  an 
hour  or  two  later,  "  I  feel  as  if  I 
should  have  the  nightmare  unless  I 
have  some  exercise  before  I  sleep. 
What  do  you  say  to  some  sort  of  a 


game 


I 


said 


know    a     splendid    one," 
Ned.     "  A  candle-race." 

"  What  in  the  world  is  that  ?  " 
they  asked. 

"  You  run  three  times  around  the 
house,  and  the  one  who  gets  through 
first  wins.  Each  person  carries  two 
lighted  candles.  The  minute  one  goes 
out,  he  has  to  stop  short  until  he 
has  relighted  it.  It's  no  end  of  fun." 

"  Let's  try  it !  "  they  all  exclaimed. 
And  Carrie  hurried  into  the  kitchen, 
and  presently  returned  with  a  heap  of 

candles,  which  they  all  seized  upon,  and  hastened    to    light.     Mr. 
562 


THE   CROSS  DOG  LIFTS   UP  HIS   VOICE.  563 

Longwood  put  on  his  coat  and  hat,  and  stood  at  the  front-door 
to  see  fair  play  ;  while  Daniels  and  the  trim  woman  stood  at  the 
back-door  to  see  this  new  sport,  which,  as  she  observed  to  her 
husband,  "  took  a  many  candles."  The  cross  dog,  roused  by  the 
noise  and  light,  tugged  and  strained  at  his  chain,  and  snapped 
and  snarled  most  wickedly. 

"  One,  two,  three,  ind  away,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as  they 
stood  in  line ;  and  off  they  went.  Now,  to  such  of  you  as  have 
never  tried  it,  a  candle-race  may  seem  a  very  simple  thing ;  but 
it  is  nothing  of  the  sort.  In  the  first  place,  the  candles  go  out 
most  unexpectedly,  and  will  not  relight,  except  by  great  coaxing. 
And  then,  when  you  hold  the  candles  before  you,  you  cannot 
see  at  all  where  you  are  going.  Jack  brought  up  violently 
against  an  old  apple-tree  ;  Kate  found  herself  held  fast  by  the 
briers  of  a  large  rose-bush  ;  and  Tom  was  flat  on  his  face  before 
they  had  made  half  of  the  first  circuit  of  the  house.  It  was 
fully  ten  minutes  before  Will  struggled  in,  a  winner,  at  the 
starting-post.  Once  more  they  tried  the  contest ;  but  this  time 
Ned,  by  a  little  ingenuity,  easily  won.  He  held  his  candles 
upside  down. 

But,  when  they  came  laughing  and  panting  back  into  the 
house,  there  was  a  sudden  exclamation  from  them  all,  as  they 
looked  at  him  ;  for  his  clothes  were  white  with  the  wax  from 
the  candles.  It  took  an  hour  of  blotting-paper  and  hot  flat-irons 
to  make  him  look  presentable.  After  that  they  all  went  to  bed. 

When  the  boys  opened  their  eyes  the  next  morning,  and 
looked  out  of  the  window,  they  were  filled  with  astonishment. 
Could  they  have  mistaken  Christmas  for  Thanksgiving !  There 


564 


A   LOWERING  SKY  AND  A    WINTRY  WIND. 


were  two  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground,  a  lowering-  sky  over 
head,  and  a  wintry  wind  whistling  about  the  house.  Down  far 
below  them  in  the  distance,  the  broad  river  was  cold  and  lead- 


AN    UNSEASONABLE   PROSPECT. 


colored.  As  they  looked,  a  wild  rabbit,  surprised,  no  doubt,  at 
this  strange  weather,  darted  across  the  field  beneath  their  window. 
They  shivered  as  they  watched  him,  and  then  all  clambered  back 
into  bed  again  to  take  counsel  as  to  this  unexpected  state  of 
affairs.  After  a  little,  though,  a  rattling  of  plates  showed  that 


THE  GIRLS  DECIDE   TO  STA  Y  IN  DOORS. 


565 


the  trim  woman  was  setting  the  table  for  breakfast :  so  they 
jumped  up,  and  made  haste  to  dress. 

"  Well,  young  people,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  at  breakfast, 
"  how  do  you  propose  to  spend  the  day  ?  I  am  going  to  see 
my  old  friend  Dr.  Stone  this  morning,  and  may  not  be  back 
until  dinner,  at  four.  —  You  left  my  card  there  yesterday,  did  you 
not,  Tom?" 

"  Yes,  papa,"  answered  Tom.  But,  as  he  said  the  words,  he 
put  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  produced  the  identical  card 


A    HUNGRY    RABBIT. 


"  I  am  sure  I  left  something,"  he  said,  holding  it  up,  and  looking 
at  it  blankly ;  "  but  what,  I  have  no  idea  ;  for  here  is  certainly 
the  card  you  gave  me." 

"  It  would  be  well  to  be  more  careful  next  time,"  said  his 
father.  "  However,  I  do  not  imagine  that  any  very  great  harm 
is  done.  But  you  have  none  of  you  answered  my  question  as  to 
what  you  propose  doing." 

"  I  think  we  girls  shall  stay  in  doors,"  said  Carrie   and    Rose, 


566  A   SNOW-BALL  FIGHT  IS  PROPOSED. 

"  It  looks  very  wet.  I  imagine  that  these  winds,  which  are 
whistling  so  vigorously  around  the  house,  will  soon  melt  and 
carry  off  the  snow.  How  like  a  March  day  it  seems !  Just 
as  if  — 

The  wild  March  winds  have  mustered ; 

Their  stormy  bugles  blow; 
Aroused  from  sleep,  in  squadrons  deep 

They  rush  upon  the  foe. 
The  piled-up  snows  of  winter 

Cower  and  melt  and  flee ; 
In  sheltered  nooks  the  little  brooks 

Once  more  splash  merrily. 

In  all  the  sunny  valleys 

Is  heard  a  stirring  sound ; 
Little  green  heads  from  wintry  beds 

Come  peeping  through  the  ground. 
The  pale  wind-flower  is  swaying 

Upon  its  slender  stalk ; 
And  violets  blue,  a  merry  crew, 

Ripple  and  laugh  and  talk." 

t 

"  I  shall  not  object  to  keeping  quiet,  for  my  part,"  said  Kate. 

"  I  feel  somewhat  used  up  by  our  activity  yesterday." 

"  We  boys  will   be    close    at    hand,"  said    Tom   and   Will,  "  in 

case  we  can  help  to  pass   the   time.     Jack   and    Ned   and  Charlie 

have  challenged  us  to  a  great  snow-ball  fight.     I   believe   that    is 

to  come  first  in  order  after  breakfast." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as  they  rose  from  the   table,  "  I 

will  leave  you  to  your  own  devices.     I  must  be  off.     I  am  going 


MR.  LONG  WOOD  FINDS  AN  ANGRY  DOCTOR. 


567 


to  walk  across  the  fields,  and  through  the  woods.  There  will  be 
no  mud  there  if  the  snow  melts."  And,  taking  his  stick,  he  set 
out  briskly,  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  forest. 

Before  the  boys  had  fairly  got  into  the  thick  of  their  snow 
ball  fight,  he  had  reached  the  doctor's  house,  and  rang  the  bell. 
As  he  stood  waiting  for  the  door  to  be  opened,  he  heard  a 
voice  from  up  stairs  call  out,  — 

"If  that's  the  rascal  who  was  here  yes 
terday,  just  let  him  come  into  the  hall,  and 
I'll  give  him  a  piece  of  my  mind." 

"  However,  when  the  wrathful  doctor  learned 
that  it  was   an  old  friend,  he  was 
overjoyed ;    and    they   both    had   a 
hearty  laugh  over  Tom's 


^\ x-" 


blunder,  as  the  facts  came 
out. 

The  young  people  did 
nothing  in  particular  very 
|j|  actively  all  day  long.    The 


568 


THE   OLD  GRANDMOTHER  HAS  A    COLD. 


snow-ball  fight  came  off,  and  lasted  more  than  an  hour,  with  very 
evenly  matched  results.  The  girls  strolled  into  the  kitchen,  in  the 
hope  of  having  an  interview  with  the  old  lady ;  but  the  trim  woman 


was  alone.  Her  mother,  she  said,  had  taken  a  cold,  and  she  had 
persuaded  her  to  stay  in  bed.  Lou  found  a  dish  of  bread-crusts, 
and  scattered  crumbs  to  a  few  hungry  birds  that  gathered  about 
her  at  the  back-door. 

Finally   they  drew  their   chairs   about   the   fire,  each  with   her 


FROM  OVER   THE   OCEAN  A    WAR-WORN  BAND.  569 

Avork,  and  talked  and  chatted.  Rose,  after  a  little,  found  on  the 
shelves  a  scrap-book  filled  with  newspaper  clippings.  They  had 
been  cut  out  at  different  times  by  Mr.  Longwood's  brother,  as 
the  fancy  seized  him.  Poetry  and  prose  were  mixed  in  great 
confusion.  Rose  read  to  them,  now  and  then,  an  extract.  Here 
is  one  :  — 

THE  RETURN   OF  THE   HESSIANS. 

"  How  shall  I  tell  them  ?  "  the  sergeant  said, 

And  he  shook  his  old  and  grizzled  head, 

And  a  tear  rolled  down  his  dust-grimed  face. 

(They  were  marching  home,  and  they  marched  apace) 

From  over  the  ocean,  a  war-worn  band, 

To  their  homes  in  the  German  fatherland. 

"  The  good  God's  mercies  have  gone  astray : 
Why  were  they  slain  on  the  self-same  day? 
Why  came  I  alive  from  the  cruel  strife, 
Useless  and  old,  with  no  child  nor  wife? 
How  tell  a  mother  of  two  sons  dead, 
A  wife,  and  a  sweetheart?"  the  sergeant  said. 

"  How  can  I  tell  how  we  found  one  slain 
Shot  through  the  head,  on  the  lonely  plain; 
How  'neath  the  colors  one  dropped  and  lay 
Dead  ere  his  red  lips  a  word  could  say?" 
And  the  sergeant  marched  with  head  bent  down, 
Nor  heard  the  cheers  as  they  reached  the  town; 

Raised  not  his  eyes  as  they  marched  along, 
Saw  not  around  him  the  gathering  throng, 


57° 


FOR  KING  AND    COUNTRY. 


Till  three  pale  women  clutched  hard  his  arm, 
Their  wild  eyes  haggard  with  strange  alarm. 
"  The  good  God  help  you  —  they  are  dead  ! 
'Twas  for  king  and  country,"  the  sergeant  said. 


THE   FALL   OF  THE  COLORS. 


"  For  king  and  country  !  "  their  mother  cried. 
"  Not  for  their  country  have  my  sons  died. 
One  tyrant  sold  them,  poor  helpless  slaves, 
To  another  tyrant  beyond  the  waves. 


SHOT   THROUGH   THE   HEAD   ON   THE   LONELY    PLAIN. 


• 

HOW  THE  DAY  HAS  GONE!  575 

God  judge  between  us.  —  Daughters,  come  home, 
By  our  vacant  hearth  we  will  make  our  moan." 

"  Is  it  true,  as  the  poem  says,  that  they  were  sold  ? "  asked 
Carrie. 

"  George  the  Third  obtained  the  Hessian  regiments  from 
Frederick  II.  of  Hesse-Cassel.  For  the  twenty-two  thousand  men 
which  were  furnished  he  paid  about  three  million  pounds  sterling. 
It  was  said  and  believed  that  many  of  the  men  were  kidnapped,  and 
that  their  families  never  knew  what  had  become  of  them.  Many 
of  them  had  no  mind  to  return  to  Germany  after  the  war,  but 
deserted,  and  settled  among  the  people  whom  they  came  to  fight. 

"  Here  comes  papa,"  said  Carrie.  "  And,  would  you  believe 
it !  it  is  half-past  three.  How  the  day  has  gone !  We  had  better 
go  up  stairs,  and  get  ready  for  dinner,  girls." 


CHAPTER     VII. 


"In  the  year 
1747,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  as  they 
drew  about  the  fire 
again,  after  dinner 
was  over,  "among 
the  many  new  set 
tlements  in  New 
Hampshire  was  one 
at  Epsom  ;  and 
among  the  settlers  was  a  man  named  McCoy.  He  was  a  rough 
specimen,  but  withal  a  daring  man.  Having  heard  rumors  that 
hostile  Indians  were  committing  depredations  on  some  of  the 
other  settlers  round  about,  he  took  his  gun,  and  set  out  through 
the  forest  to  find  for  himself  whether  any  were  in  his  own 
neighborhood.  Presently  he  saw  signs  that  showed  only  too  well 
that  there  were,  and  he  made  haste  to  retrace  his  steps. 

"But  unknown  to  him,  the  Indians  had  seen  him,  and  noise 
lessly  followed  him  home.  They  told  his  wife,  when  they  were 
hurrying  her  away  a  prisoner,  that  they  looked  through  the 

574 


THE  DOGS  GROWL  SAVAGELY.  575 

cracks  of  their  log-house  that  night,  and  saw  what  they  ate  for 
supper." 

At  this  point  Jack  wickedly  gave  his  chair  a  sudden  scrape, 
and  Gertrude  jumped. 

"The  time  for  them  to  strike,  however,  was  not  yet  come. 
They  wanted  to  find  out  the  strength  of  the  new  settlement 
first.  For  two  days  there  was  no  sign  of  trouble.  But,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day,  Mrs.  McCoy  went  to  see  if  a  neigh 
bor,  who  had  fled  at  the  first  report  of  trouble,  had  returned. 
As  she  was  coming  homeward,  her  dogs,  who  had  gone  around 
to  the  back  of  the  block-house  as  she  passed  it,  came  running 
to  her,  with  their  hair  standing  up  along  their  backs,  and  growl 
ing  savagely. 

"  When  McCoy  heard  this,  he  made  up  his  mind  that  the 
Indians  were  already  in  the  town,  and  that  it  was  time  to  fly. 

"So  he  watched  that  night ;  and  the  next  morning  he  and 
his  wife  and  his  son  set  out  for  a  garrison  at  Nottingham.  The 
two  men  had  muskets  ;  but  they  had  used  up  all  their  powder 
and  ball  in  hunting,  so  that  they  were  of  no  use  to  them. 
They  strode  along  a  narrow  path  through  the  woods,  until  they 
began  to  climb  a  hill.  They  were  some  distance  up  the  hill ; 
and  Mrs.  McCoy,  who  for  some  unknown  reason  had  straggled 
behind,  was  just  at  its  foot,  when  two  Indians  reached  out 
suddenly  from  the  bushes,  and  seized  her.  At  the  same  time 
they  clapped  their  hands  over  her  mouth,  so  that  her  husband 
and  son  might  not  hear  her  screams  for  help.  They  heard,  how 
ever,  and,  putting  their  pieces  to  their  shoulder,  advanced  hastily 
to  the  rescue.  The  Indians,  of  course,  at  once  levelled  their 


576 


MRS.  MCCOY  TAKES  COUNSEL  OF  PRUDENCE. 


guns,  when  Mrs.  McCoy  struck  them  down,  and  called  to  her 
son  and  husband  to  run.  They  hesitated  for  an  instant,  then 
remembering  that  their  weapons  were  useless,  and  that  they  had 
no  chance  of  success,  leaped  into  the  woods,  and  fled. 

"  Mrs.  McCoy  now  natu 
rally  expected  that  she  should 
be  tomahawked  ;  but  her 
conduct  had  probably  pleased 
the  Indians,  and  they  treated 
her  with  great  consideration. 
They  took  her  to  the  banks 
of  a  little  stream  not  far 
away,  and  left  her  in  charge 
of  a  boy,  while  they  went 
back,  and  burned  her  house. 
During  this  interval  she  de 
bated  whether  she  would  not 
do  well  to  kill  the  boy,  and 
make  her  escape.  A  heavy 
piece  of  iron  was  there,  with 
which  she  could  easily  have 
done  the  deed.  But,  in  case 
they  should  retake  her,  she 
knew  too  well  that  she  would  probably  be  burned  alive,  and  so* 
decided  to  take  her  chances,  and  stay  quietly  where  she  was. 

"  Before  long  her  captors  returned,  grimed  with  smoke  ;  and, 
pleasantly  informing  her  in  broken  English  of  their  having  suc 
cessfully  burnt  up  all  her  possessions,  they  set  out  on  the  long 


CAPTIVE. 


PLAUSAWA,  S ABATIS,  AND   CHRIST!.  577 

march  for  Canada.  The  names  of  these  three  worthies  were 
Plausawa,  Sabatis,  and  Christi :  the  boy's  name  is  not  given. 

"  Mrs.  McCoy  was  a  sturdy  woman,  and  marched  along 
stanchly.  Probably,  had  she  been  feeble,  and  unable  to  keep 
up,  they  would  have  lost  patience,  and  tomahawked  her.  As  it 
was,  she  did  not  suffer.  They  had  carried  off  with  their  other 
plunder  a  dozen  ripe  apples  from  the  solitary  tree  that  bore  in 
the  new  settlement ;  and  they  gave  her  one  of  these  a  day  as 
long  as  they  lasted.  They  carried  her  on  their  backs  over  the 
streams,  and  at  night  covered  her  with  one  of  their  blankets ; 
and,  as  this  all  took  place  in  the  summer,  she  experienced  hardly 
any  hardship." 

"  It  must  have  been  jolly,"  said  Ned.  "  A  sort  of  perpetual 
picnic." 

"  I  fear  Mrs.  McCoy  did  not  look  at  it  in  that  way,"  said 
Rose. 

"  Well,"  went  on  Mr.  Longwood,  "  at  last  they  reached  Cana 
da,  and  here  the  captive  was  sold  by  her  captors  to  a  French 
family,  as  servant.  After  a  time  she  was  ransomed,  and  returned 
to  her  home." 

"  How  glad  she  must  have  been  to  see  her  husband  again  !  " 
said  Carrie. 

"  In  point  of  fact,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  smiling,  "  she  ought 
to  have  been  glad.  But  McCoy  was  a  man  of  violent  temper, 
from  which  she  had  suffered  somewhat.  And  she  was  indiscreet 
enough  to  say,  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for  her  children,  she 
would  have  preferred  to  stay  in  Canada,  where  she  was  very 
comfortable. 


THERE  START  UP  FOUR  INDIANS. 


"  She  must  have  seen  her  captors  quite  frequently  after  her 
return  ;  for,  when  the  war  was  over,  they  built  their  wigwams, 
and  lived  quite  close  to  her.  Plausawa  and  Sabatis  both  were 
killed  in  a  drunken  bout,  and  buried  near  at  hand." 

"  How  frightful  those  times  must  have  been  to  live  in  !  "  said 
Gertrude.  "  The  men  must  have  been  ready  to  run  at  the  word 
'  Indian.'  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  Will.  "  I  was  looking  over  that 
stanch  old  warrior,  '  Gardener's  History  of  Pequot  Warres,'  a  short 
time  ago.  Let  me  just  get  the  book  from  the  shelves,  and  read 
you  a  little  :  — 

"  '  In  the  22d  of  February  I  went  out,  with  ten  men  and 
three  dogs,  half  a  mile  from  the  house,  to  burn  the  weeds, 
leaves,  and  reeds  upon  the  neck  of  land,  because  we  had  felled 
twenty  timber  trees,  which  we  were  to  roll  to  the  water-side  to 
bring  home,  every  man  carrying  a  length  of  match  with  brim 
stone  matches  with  him  to  kindle  the  fire  withal.  But  when  we 
came  to  the  small  of  the  Neck,  the  weeds  burning,  I  having 
befoie  this  set  two  sentinels  on  the  small  of  the  Neck,  I  called 
to  the  men  who  were  burning  the  reeds  to  come  away  ;  but 
they  would  not  until  they  had  burnt  up  the  rest  of  their  matches. 
Presently  there  starts  up  four  Indians  out  of  the  fiery  reeds,  but 
ran  away.  I  calling  to  the  rest  of  our  men  to  come  away  out 
of  the  marsh.  Then  Robert  Chapman  and  Thomas  Hurlbut, 
being  sentinels,  called  to  me,  saying  there  came  a  number  of 
Indians  out  of  the  other  side  of  the  marsh.  Then  I  went  to 
stop  them,  that  they  should  not  get  to  the  woodland  ;  but 
Thomas  Hurlbut  cried  out  to  me  that  some  of  the  men  did  not 


THE   TWO  SOUND  MEN  RAN  A  WA  K 


579 


follow  me  ;    for  Thomas    Rumble   and  Arthur  Branch    threw  down 

their  two  guns,  and  ran  away  ;  then  the  Indians  shot  two  of  them 

that  were  in  the  reeds,  and  sought  to  get  between  us  and  home, 

but  durst  not  come    before    us,  but    kept    us    in    a   half-moon,  we 

retreating,     and     exchanging 

many  a  shot,  so  that  Thomas 

Hurlbut     was     shot     almost 

through      the      thigh,     John 

Spencer   in   the  back,  myself 

in  the  thigh  :  two  more  were 

shot  dead. 

"  '  But  on  our  retreat,  I 
kept  Hurlbut  and  Spencer 
still  before  us,  we  defending 
ourselves  with  our  naked 
swords,  or  else  they  had 
taken  us  all  alive :  so  the 
two  sore  woimded  men,  by 
our  slow  retreat,  got  home 
with  their  guns,  when  our 
two  sound  men  ran  away, 
and  left  their  guns  behind 
them. 

"  '  But,  when  I  saw  the  cowards  that  left  us,  I  resolved  to 
let  them  draw  lots  which  of  them  should  be  hanged,  for  the 
articles  did  hang  up  in  the  hall  for  them  to  read.  But  at  the 
intercession  of  old  Mr.  Michell,  Mr.  Higgison,  and  Mr.  Pell,  I 
did  forbear. 


THE  TWO   COWARDS. 


58o 


BEATING  SAMP  AT  THE  GARDEN  PALES. 


"  '  Within  a  few  days  after,  when  I  had  cured  myself  of  the 
wound,  I  went  out  with  eight  men  to  get  some  fowl  for  our 
relief,  and  found  the  guns  that  were  thrown  away,  and  the  body 
of  one  man  shot  through,  the  arrow  going  in  at  the  right  side, 

the  head  sticking  fast  half 
through  a  rib  at  the  left 
side  ;  which  I  took  out,  and 
cleansed  it,  and  presumed 
to  send  to  the  Bay,  because 
they  had  said  that  the  ar 
rows  of  the  Indians  were  of 
no  force.' ' 

"  That  doesn't  sound  as 
if  Gardener,  at  least,  were 
much  afraid,"  said  Charlie. 
"Wait  a  little,"  said WilL 
"  I'll  read  you  some  more  of 
it." 

" '  You,  Robert  Chapman, 
you  know  that  when  you  and 
John  Bagley  were  beating 
samp  at  the  Garden  Pales, 
the  sentinels  called  you  to 
run  in  ;  for  there  was  a  number  of  Pequits  creeping  to  you  to 
catch  you.  I,  hearing  it,  went  up  to  the  Redoubt,  and  put  two 
cross-bar  shot  into  the  two  guns  that  lay  above,  and  levelled 
them  at  the  trees  in  the  middle  of  the  limbs  and  boughs,  and 
gave  order  to  John  Frend  and  his  man  to  stand  with  handspikes, 


"ONE    MAN    SHOT   THROUGH." 


SHOUT  AS  LOUD  AS   YOU  CAN.  581 

to  turn  them  this  way  or  that  as  they  should  hear  the  Indians 
shout ;  for  they  should  know  my  shout  from  theirs,  for  it  should 
be  very  short. 

"  '  Then  I  called  six  men  and  the  dogs,  and  went  out  run 
ning  to  the  place,  and  keeping  all  abreast  in  sight,  close 
together.  And  when  I  saw  my  time,  I  said  "  Stand  !  "  and  called 
all  to  me,  saying,  "  Look  on  me  ;  and,  when  I  hold  up  my  hand, 
then  shout  as  loud  as  you  can ;  and,  when  I  hold  down  my 
hand,  then  leave  :  "  and  so  they  did.  Then  the  Indians  began  a 
long  shout,  and  then  went  off  the  two  great  guns,  and  tore  the 
limbs  of  the  trees  about  their  ears,  so  that  divers  of  them  were 
hurt  ;  for  there  is  one  of  them  in  this  present  year,  '60,  that 
lieth  above  Harford,  that  is  fain  to  creep  on  all  four.  And  we 
shouted  once  or  twice  more,  but  they  would  not  answer  us 
again  :  so  we  returned  home,  laughing. 

"  '  Another  pretty  prank  we  had  with  three  great  doors  of 
ten  feet  long  and  four  feet  broad,  being  bored  full  of  holes,  and 
driven  full  of  long  nails  as  sharp  as  awl-blades,  —  sharpened  by 
Thomas  Hurlbut.  These  we  placed  in  certain  places  where  they 
should  come,  fearing  lest  they  should  come  in  the  night,  and  fire 
our  redoubt  or  battery.  And  in  a  dry  time  and  a  dark  night, 
they  came  as  before,  and  found  the  way  a  little  too  sharp  for 
them ;  and  as  they  skipped  from  one  they  trod  upon  another, 
and  left  the  nails  and  doors  dyed  with  their  blood,  which  you 
know  we  saw  the  next  morning,  laughing  at  it.  And  this  I  write 
that  young  men  may  learn,  if  they  should  meet  with  such  trials 
as  we  met  with  there,  and  have  not  opportunity  to  cut  off  their 
enemies,  yet  they  may,  with  such  pretty  pranks,  preserve  them- 


582       GENTLE  MEASURES  IN  THE   TRAINING   OF   THE    YOUNG. 

selves  from  danger ;  for  policy  is  needful  in  wars,  as  well  as 
strength.'  ' 

"  His  idea  of  a  pretty  prank  is  unique,  at  all  events,"  said 
Charlie.  "  He  must  have  been  a  tough  customer  to  meet.  Did 
he  keep  his  scalp  on  his  head  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He  died  in  his  bed  at  a 
good  old  age." 

"  How  did  they  scalp  people  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  show  any  of  you  young  ladies,"  said 
Jack,  bloodthirstily  drawing  from  his  pocket  and  opening  a  knife 
with  a  most  formidable  blade,  —  a  new  one  bought  especially  for 
this  expedition  to  the  country. 

"  Jack,"  said  Gertrude,  "  do  put  up  that  dreadful  knife  !  " 

"  My  sister,"  said  Jack,  looking  around  with  a  wicked  glance, 
"  has  in  her  character  a  vein  of  what  we  will,  for  lack  of  a 
better  term,  call  timidity.  Possibly  some  of  you  may  have 
noticed  it.  She  is  especially  timid  on  the  subject  of  Indians.  I 
propose  to  cure  her  of  this.  This  is  to  be  my  method  of  treat 
ment.  I  will  now  scalp  her.  When  she  has  acquired  that  thor 
ough  familiarity  with  this  process  that  breeds  contempt,  I  advance 
to  the  next  step.  Just  before  she  goes  up  to  the  room  where 
she  is  to  sleep  alone,  I  shall  tell  her  the  story  of  an  Indian 
massacre,  and  the  tortures  that  followed,  that  will  cause  each 
hair  of  her  luxuriant  tresses  to  stand  on  end.  Then,  when  she 
has  just  put  out  the  light,  and  before  she  fairly  has  her  head 
under  the  blanket,  I  shall  madly  hurl  a  tomahawk  into  the  door, 
and  give  the  war-whoop.  Gentle  measures  in  the  training  of 
the  young,  —  these  are  always  successful." 


INDIAN   SCALPING   AN   ENEMY. 


THOMAS   TOOGOOD    TURNS   THE   TABLES.  585 

"  Will  you  please  tell  us  how  you  are  to  make  her  locks 
stand  on  end  after  she  has  been  scalped  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"  Your  theory  apparently  needs  a  little  more  elaboration," 
said  Will.  "  Perhaps,  therefore,  you  had  better  postpone  carrying 
it  out  until  you  have  given  it  further  thought.  In  the  mean 
time  we  can  go  on  with  our  talk." 

"  There  are  several  good  stories  about  these  Indian  wars," 
said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Thomas  Toogood  had  a  rather  curious 
experience.  He  was  seen  by  three  Indians,  and  took  to  his 
heels,  they  following  at  the  top  of  their  speed  in  pursuit. 
Presently  one  overtook  and  seized  him,  whereat  the  other  two 
turned  back.  But,  while  his  captor  was  hunting  about  him  for 
some  string  to  tie  his  arms,  Toogood  suddenly  wrested  his  gun 
from  him,  and,  presenting  it  at  his  head,  threatened  to  shoot  if 
he  made  a  sound.  Then  he  quietly  retreated  with  the  musket  to 
the  nearest  garrison,  while  the  chagrined  savage  made  the  best 
of  his  way  back  to  his  comrades,  there,  no  doubt,  to  be  the 
subject  of  ridicule  for  many  a  long  day." 

"  I  remember  to  have  heard  of  one  great  Indian  fighter," 
said  Ned,  "whom  the  savages  called  the  man  with  two  heads. 
He  wore  a  wig,  and  always,  when  he  got  warmed  up  in  a  fight, 
used  to  take  it  off,  and  hang  it  on  a  bush.  They  had  never 
seen  a  wig,  and  their  amazement  was  without  bounds." 

"  By  the  by,"  said  Charlie,  "  do  you  fellows  remember  how 
suddenly  Mr.  Grinder's  hair  turned  gray  at  the  last  Christmas 
holidays  ?  It  was  a  dark  brown  the  day  before  Christmas  ;  and 
the  day  after  New  Year's,  when  school  opened,  it  was  positively 
gray." 


586  CAPT.    TYNG  MAKES   TWO  HUNDRED  POUNDS. 

11  Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man,"  said  Kate.  "  It  was 
probably  grief  at  the  conduct  of  you  boys." 

"  Well,"  said  Will,  "  to  leave  Mr.  Grinder's  scalp,  and  get 
back  to  those  of  the  early  settlers,  I  suppose  all  this  bloody 
work  did  not  increase  a  Christian  spirit  in  the  whites." 

"  No,  indeed !  "  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  They  often  became 
rivals  of  the  Indians  in  brutality.  One  ought  not  to  expect 
much  at  the  hands  of  men  whose  wives  and  children  have  been 
killed,  and  perhaps  tortured.  The  Province  of  Massachusetts 
at  one  time  offered  a  reward  of  forty  pounds  for  every  Indian 
scalp ;  and  the  historian  grimly  states,  that  one  Capt.  Tyng  at 
once  set  out,  and  soon  returned  with  five,  for  which  he  received 
two  hundred  pounds. 

"  Out  of  deference  to  Gertrude's  feelings,  and  in  view  of  the 
lesson  that  Jack  is  preparing  for  her,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  smil 
ing,  "  we  will  avoid  the  subject  of  massacres,  and  the  torture  of 
captives.  It  happened,  however,  not  unfrequently,  that  a  white 
man  was  adopted  into  a  tribe  to  take  the  place  of  some  warrior 
who  had  fallen.  It  was  sometimes  years  before  such  a  one 
could  manage  to  make  his  escape.  There  are  quite  a  number  of 
narratives  in  existence,  written  by  these  captives.  Here  and 
there,  in  them,  one  comes  on  quite  interesting  accounts  of  hunt 
ing,  and  wild  life  experience.  Listen  to  this.  The  writer  was 
carried  off  from  Pennsylvania  by  the  Delawares,  and  was  with 
them  five  years.  He  says,  — 

"  '  I  went  out  with  Tecaughretanego  and  some  others,  a 
beaver-hunting,  but  we  did  not  succeed  ;  and  on  our  return  we 
saw  where  several  raccoons  had  passed  while  the  snow  was  soft, 


IT  BEGAN  TO  SNOW  MOST   VIOLENTLY.  587 

though  there  was  now  a  crust  upon  it.  We  all  made  a  halt, 
looking  at  the  raccoon-tracks.  As  they  saw  a  tree  with  a  hole 
in  it,  they  told  me  to  go  and  see  if  they  had  gone  in  thereat ; 
and,  if  they  had,  to  halloo,  and  they  would  come  and  take  them 
out.  When  I  went  to  that  tree,  I  found  they  had  gone  past ; 
but  I  saw  another,  the  way  they  had  gone,  and  proceeded  to 
examine  that,  and  found  they  had  gone  up  it.  I  then  began  to 
halloo,  but  could  have  no  answer. 

"  '  As  it  began  to  snow  and  blow  most  violently,  I  returned, 
and  proceeded  after  my  company,  and  for  some  time  could  see 
their  tracks ;  but  the  old  snow  being  only  about  three  inches 
deep,  and  a  crust  upon  it,  the  present  driving  snow  soon  filled 
up  the  tracks.  As  I  had  only  a  bow,  arrows,  and  tomahawk  with 
me,  and  no  way  to  strike  fire,  I  appeared  to  be  in  a  dismal  situa 
tion  ;  and,  as  the  air  was  dark  with  snow,  I  had  little  more  pros 
pect  of  steering  my  way  than  I  would  in  the  night.  At  length 
I  came  to  a  hollow  tree,  with  a  hole  at  one  side  that  I  could  go 
in  at.  I  went  in,  and  found  that  it  was  a  dry  place,  and  the 
hollow  about  three  feet  diameter,  and  high  enough  for  me  to 
stand  in.  I  found  that  there  was  also  a  considerable  quantity  of 
soft,  dry  rotten  wood  about  this  hollow.  I  therefore  concluded 
that  I  would  lodge  here,  and  that  I  would  go  to  work  and  stop 
up  the  door  of  my  house.  I  stripped  off  my  blanket,  which  was 
all  the  clothes  that  I  had,  except  a  breech-clout,  leggings,  and 
moccasins,  and  with  my  tomahawk  fell  to  chopping  at  the  top 
of  a  fallen  tree  that  lay  near,  and  carried  wood,  and  set  it  up  on 
end  against  the  door,  until  I  had  it  three  or  four  feet  thick  all 
around,  excepting  a  hole  I  had  left  to  creep  in  at.  I  had  a 


588  A   BED  LIKE  A   GOOSE- A^EST. 

block  prepared  that  I  could  haul  after  me  to  stop  the  hole;  and, 
before  I  went  in,  I  put  in  a  number  of  small  sticks,  that  I 
might  more  effectually  stop  it  on  the  inside.  When  I  went  in, 
I  took  my  tomahawk,  and  cut  down  all  the  dry  rotten  wood  I 
could  get,  and  beat  it  small.  With  it  I  made  a  bed  like  a 
goose-nest,  and  with  the  small  sticks  stopped  every  hole,  until 
my  house  was  almost  dark.  I  stripped  off  my  moccasins,  and 
danced  in  the  centre  of  my  bed  for  about  half  an  hour  in 
order  to  warm  myself.  In  this  time  my  feet  and  whole  body 
were  agreeably  warmed.  The  snow,  in  the  mean  time,  had 
stopped  all  the  holes  ;  so  that  my  house  was  dark  as  a  dungeon, 
though  I  knew  that  it  could  not  yet  be  dark  out  of  doors.  I 
then  coiled  myself  up  in  my  blanket,  lay  down  in  my  little 
round  bed,  and  had  a  tolerable  night's  lodging.  When  I  awoke, 
all  was  dark :  not  the  least  glimmering  of  light  was  to  be  seen. 
Immediately  I  recollected  that  I  was  not  to  expect  light  in  this 
new  habitation,  as  there  was  neither  door  nor  window  in  it.  As 
I  could  hear  the  storm  raging,  and  did  not  suffer  much  cold,  as 
I  then  was  situated,  I  concluded  I  would  stay  in  my  nest  until  I 
was  certain  it  was  day. 

"  <  When  I  had  reason  to  conclude  that  it  was  surely  day,  I 
arose,  and  put  on  my  moccasins,  which  I  had  laid  under  my 
head  to  keep  from  freezing.  I  then  endeavored  to  find  the  dour, 
and  had  to  do  all  by  the  sense  of  feeling,  which  took  me  some 
time.  At  length  I  found  the  block  ;  but  it  being  heavy,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  snow  having  fallen  on  it,  at  the  first  attempt 
I  did  not  move  it.  I  then  felt  terrified.  Among  all  the  hard 
ships  I  had  sustained,  I  never  knew  before  what  it  was  thus  to 


A    QUANTITY  OF  SNOW  FELL  IN. 


be  deprived  of  light.     I   once  again  attempted  to  move  away  the 
block,    which    proved    successful :    it    moved    about    nine    inches. 


A  FIGHT  IN   THE   FOREST. 


With    this   a   considerable    quantity   of    snow  fell    in    from   above, 
and  I  immediately  received  light ;    so   that   I    found   a  very  great 


59r-  /  BELTED  MY  BLANKET  ABOUT  ME. 

snow  had  fallen,  above  what  I  had  ever  seen  in  one  night.  I 
then  knew  why  I  could  not  easily  move  the  block ;  and  I  was  so 
rejoiced  at  obtaining  the  light,  that  all  my  other  difficulties 
seemed  to  vanish.  I  belted  my  blanket  about  me,  got  my  toma 
hawk,  bow  and  arrows,  and  went  out  of  my  den. 

"  '  I  was  now  in  tolerably  high  spirits,  though  the  snow  had 
fallen  above  three  feet  deep  in  addition  to  what  was  on  the 
ground  before  ;  and  the  only  imperfect  guide  I  had  in  order  to 
steer  my  course  to  camp  was  the  trees,  as  the  moss  generally 
grows  on  the  north-west  side  of  them  if  they  are  straight.  I 
proceeded  on,  wading  through  the  snow ;  and  about  twelve  o'clock 
I  came  upon  the  creek  our  camp  was  on,  about  half  a  mile  below 
the  camp  ;  and,  when  I  came  in  sight  of  the  camp,  I  found  there 
was  great  joy,  by  the  shouts  and  yellings  of  the  boys. 

"  '  When  I  arrived,  they  all  came  around  me,  and  received 
me  gladly ;  but  at  this  time  no  questions  were  asked,  and  I 
was  taken  into  a  tent,  where  they  gave  me  plenty  of  fat  beaver- 
meat,  and  then  asked  me  to  smoke.  When  I  had  done,  Tecaugh- 
retanego  desired  me  to  walk  out  to  a  fire  they  had  made.  1 
went  out;  and  they  all  collected  around  me,  both  men,  women, 
and  boys.  Tecaughretanego  asked  me  to  give,  them  a  particular 
account  of  what  had  happened  from  the  time  they  left  me  yes 
terday  until  now.  I  told  them  the  whole  of  the  story,  and  they 
never  interrupted  me ;  but,  when  I  made  a  stop,  the  intervals 
were  filled  with  loud  acclamations  of  joy.' ' 

"  It  was  a  lucky  thing  for  him  that  he  found  that  hollow 
tree,"  said  Ned.  "  But  go  on,  please,  Mr.  Longwood." 

"  '  Shortly  after/  went   on    that   gentleman,  after  turning   over 


A   HUNTER'S   CAMP. 


ONE  NIGH7'  A   SQUAW  RAISED  AN  ALARM.  593 

two  or  three  pages  of  the  book,  '  the  squaws  began  to  make 
sugar.  They  made  the  frost,  in  some  measure,  supply  the  place 
of  fire.  Their  large  bark  vessels  for  holding  the  stock  water 
they  made  broad  and  shallow  ;  and,  as  the  weather  is  very  cold 
here,  it  frequently  freezes  at  night  in  sugar  time,  and  the  ice 
they  break,  and  cast  out  of  the  vessels.  I  asked  them  if  they 
were  not  throwing  away  the  sugar.  They  said  No  :  it  was  water 
they  were  casting  away :  sugar  did  not  freeze,  and  there  was 
scarcely  any  in  that  ice.  They  said  I  might  try  the  experiment, 
and  boil  some  of  it,  and  see  what  I  would  get.  I  never  did  try  ; 
but  I  observed,  that,  after  several  times  freezing,  the  water  that 
remained  in  the  vessel  changed  its  color,  and  became  very  brown 
and  sweet. 

"  '  About  the  time  we  were  done  making  sugar,  one  night  a 
squaw  raised  an  alarm.  She  said  she  saw  two  men,  with  guns 
in  their  hands,  upon  the  bank  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek, 
spying  our  tents  :  they  were  supposed  to  be  Johnston's  Mohawks. 
On  this,  the  squaws  were  ordered  to  slip  quietly  out  some  dis 
tance  into  the  bushes,  and  all  who  had  either  guns  or  bows  were 
to  squat  in  the  bushes  near  the  tents  ;  and,  if  the  enemy  rushed 
up,  we  were  to  give  them  the  first  fire,  and  let  the  squaws  have 
an  opportunity  of  escaping. 

"  '  Before  we  withdrew  from  the  tents,  they  had  carried 
Manetohcoa  to  the  fire,  and  gave  him  his  conjuring  tools,  which 
were  dyed  feathers,  the  bone  of  the  shoulder-blade  of  a  wild 
cat,  tobacco,  etc.  And,  while  we  were  in  the  bushes,  Manetoh- 
zoa  was  in  a  tent  at  the  fire,  conjuring  away  to  the  utmost  of  his 
ability.  At  length  he  called  aloud  for  us  all  to  come  in,  which 


594  THE  PICTURE   OF  TWO    WOLVES. 

was  quickly  obeyed.  When  we  came  in,  he  told  us,  that  after  he 
had- gone  through  the  whole  of  his  ceremony,  and  expected  to 
see  a  number  of  Mohawks  on  the  flat  bone  when  it  was  warmed 
at  the  fire,  the  pictures  of  two  wolves  only  appeared.  So  he 
said  we  might  all  go  to  sleep,  for  there  was  no  danger.  And 
accordingly  we  did. 

"  '  The  next  morning  we  went  to  the  place,  and  found  wolf- 
tracks,  and  where  they  had  scratched  with  their  feet,  like  dogs  ; 
but  there  was  no  sign  of  moccasin-tracks.  If  there  is  any  such 
thing  as  a  wizard,  I  think  Mafcetohcoa  was  as  likely  to  be  one 
as  any  man,  as  he  was  a  professed  worshipper  of  the  Devil. 
But,  let  him  be  a  conjurer  or  not,  I  am  persuaded  that  the 
Indians  believed  what  he  told  them  on  this  occasion  as  well  as 
if  it  had  come  from  an  infallible  oracle,  or  they  would  not,  after 
such  an  alarm  as  this,  all  go  to  sleep  in  an  unconcerned 
manner.' ' 

"  It  certainly  was  very  strange,"  said  Carrie.  ''  How  in  the 
world  do  you  suppose  the  medicine-man  found  out  that  they 
were  wolves  ?  " 

"  There  used  to  be  witches  in  the  time  of  Saul,"  said  Lou. 
"  Perhaps  he  was  a  real  witch  :  it  might  have  been  so,  you 
know." 

"  Pshaw  !  "  said  Jack.  "  The  thing  is  simple  enough.  Give 
me  some  dyed  feathers,  the  bones  of  the  shoulder-blade  of  a 
wildcat,  and  some  tobacco,  and  an  intelligent  squaw  who  will  rush 
in  and  tell  the  company  what  I  have  told  her  beforehand  to  say, 
and  I  will  perform  no  end  of  wonders." 

The  girls  looked  at  Jack  with  admiration.  "  I  never  should 
have  thought  of  that,"  said  Carrie. 


o 

> 
tzj 
O 
W 

c! 
izj 

d 


r 


WE  HOISTED   Ul    SAILS.  597 

"  When  the  warm  weather  came,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  the 
tribe  to  which  our  hero  belonged  moved  off  to  Detroit  to  trade 
the  skins  and  furs  that  they  had  gained  in  their  winter's  hunt 
ing.  He  says,  — 

"  '  We  took  up  our  birch-bark  canoes  which  we  had  buried, 
and  found  that  they  were  not  damaged  by  the  winter.  All 
embarked  ;  and  the  wind  being  fair,  and  the  lake  not  extremely 
rough,  we  hoisted  up  sails,  and  arrived  safe  at  the  Wyandot 
town,  nearly  opposite  to  fort  Detroit.  Here  we  found  a  num 
ber  of  French  traders,  every  one  very  willing  to  deal  with  us. 

"  '  We  bought  ourselves  fine  clothes,  ammunition,  paint, 
tobacco,  etc.,  and,  according  to  promise,  a  new  gun  for  me  ; 
yet  we  had  parted  with  only  about  one- third  of  our  beaver.  At 
length  a  trader  came  to  town  with  French  brandy  :  we  purchased 
a  keg  of  it,  and  held  a  council  about  who  was  to  get  drunk, 
and  who  was  to  keep  sober.  I  was  invited  to  get  drunk,  but  I 
refused  the  proposal.  Then  they  told  me  that  I  must  be  one  of 
those  who  were  to  take  care  of  the  drunken  people.  I  did  not 
like  this ;  but  of  two  evils  I  chose  that  which  I  thought  the 
lesser,  and  fell  in  with  those  who  were  to  conceal  the  arms,  and 
keep  every  dangerous  weapon  we  could  out  of  their  way,  and 
endeavor,  if  possible,  to  keep  the  drinking-club  from  killing  each 
other,  which  was  a  very  hard  task.  Several  times  we  hazarded 
our  own  lives,  and  got  ourselves  hurt,  in  preventing  them  from 
slaying  each  other.  Before  they  had  finished  this  keg,  near 
one-third  of  the  town  was  introduced  to  this  drinking-club. 
They  could  not  pay  their  part,  as  they  had  already  disposed  of 
all  their  skins ;  but  that  made  no  odds :  all  were  welcome  to 
'drink. 


598  CHASING  DEER   ON  SNOW-SHOES. 

"  '  When  they  were  done  with  this  keg,  they  applied  to  the 
traders,  and  procured  a  kettleful  of  brandy  at  a  time,  which 
they  divided  out  with  a  large  wooden  spoon  ;  and  so  they  went 
on,  and  never  quit  while  they  had  a  single  beaver-skin. 

"  '  When  the  trader  had  got  all  our  beaver,  he  moved  off. 

"  '  When  the  brandy  was  gone,  and  the  drinking-club  sober, 
they  appeared  much  dejected.  Some  of  them  were  crippled, 
others  badly  wounded,  a  number  of  their  fine  new  shirts  torn, 
and  several  blankets  were  burned.  A  number  of  squaws  were 
also  in  this  club,  and  neglected  their  corn-planting.' ' 

"  That  is  just  like  Indians,"  said  Will.  "  They  work  at  hunt 
ing  and  trapping  all  winter,  and  then  spend  all  the  result  of 
their  labors  in  a  drunken  debauch." 

"  Doesn't  the  fellow  tell  how  they  caught  the  wild  beasts  ?  " 
asked  Charlie. 

"  There  are  accounts  of  how  they  chased  deer  on  snow- 
shoes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  and,  somewhere  in  the  book,  one 
of  killing  a  bear.  Perhaps  I  can  find  it.  Yes  :  here  we  have  it. 

"  '  In  the  course  of  the  month  of  January  I  happened  to 
observe  that  the  trunk  of  a  very  large  pine-tree  was  much  torn 
by  the  claws  of  a  bear,  made  both  in  going  up  and  down.  On 
further  examination  I  saw  that  there  was  a  large  opening  in  the 
upper  part,  near  which  the  smaller  branches  were  broken.  From 
these  marks,  and  from  the  additional  circumstance  that  there  were 
no  tracks  on  the  snow,  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  a  bear 
lay  concealed  in  the  tree. 

"  '  On  returning  to  the  lodge,  I  communicated  my  discovery  ; 
and  it  was  agreed  that  all  should  go  together  in  the  morning. 


WE   TOILED  LIKE  BEAVERS. 


599 


to  assist  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  the  girth  of  which  was  not 
less  than  three  fathom.  The  women  at  first  opposed,  because 
our  axes,  being  only  of  a  pound  and  a  half  weight,  were  not 
well  adapted  to  so  heavy  a  labor ;  but  the  hope  of  finding  ? 
large  bear,  and  obtaining  from  its  fat  a  great  quantity  of  oil,  — 
an  article  at  the  time  much  wanted,  —  at  length  prevailed. 


HUNTING   ON   SNOW-SHOES. 


"  '  Accordingly,  in  the  morning  we  surrounded  the  tree,  both 
men  and  women,  as  many  at  a  time  as  could  conveniently  work 
at  it ;  and  here  we  toiled  like  beavers  till  the  sun  went  down. 
This  day's  work  carried  us  about  half-way  through  the  trunk ; 
and  the  next  morning  we  renewed  the  attack,  continuing  it  till 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  tree  fell  to  the 
ground.  For  a  few  minutes  every  thing  remained  quiet,  and  I 
feared  that  all  our  expectations  were  disappointed ;  but,  as  I 


6oo  A   BEAR   OF  EXTRAORDINARY  SIZE. 

advanced  to  the  opening,  there  came  out,  to  the  great  satisfac 
tion  of  all  our  party,  a  bear  of  extraordinary  size,  which,  before 
she  had  proceeded  many  yards,  I  shot. 

"  '  The  bear  being  dead,  all  my  assistants  approached,  and  all 
took  her  head  in  their  hands,  stroking  and  kissing  it  several 
times,  begging  a  thousand  pardons  for  taking  away  her  life  ; 
calling  her  their  relation  and  grandmother,  and  requesting  her 
not  to  lay  the  fault  upon  them,  since  it  was  truly  an  English 
man  that  had  put  her  to  death. 

"  '  This  ceremony  was  not  of  long  duration  ;  and,  if  it  were  I 
that  killed  their  grandmother,  they  were  not  themselves  behind 
hand  in  what  remained  to  be  performed.  The  skin  being  taken 
off,  we  found  the  fat  in  several  places  six  inches  deep.  This, 
being  divided  into  two  parts,  loaded  two  persons  ;  and  the  flesh 
parts  were  as  much  as  four  persons  could  carry. 

"  '  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  lodge,  the  bear's  'head  was 
adorned  with  all  the  trinkets  in  the  possession  of  the  family, 
such  as  silver  arm-bands  and  wrist-bands,  and  belts  of  wampum, 
and  then  laid  upon  a  scaffold  set  up  for  its  reception  within  the 
lodge.  Near  the  nose  was  placed  a  large  quantity  of  tobacco. 

"  '  The  next  morning  no  sooner  appeared  than  preparations 
were  made  for  a  feast  to  the  manes.  The  lodge  was  cleaned 
and  swept,  and  the  head  of  the  bear  lifted  up,  and  a  new 
blanket,  which  had  never  been  used  before,  placed  under  it. 
The  pipes  were  now  lit ;  and  Wawatam  blew  smoke  into  the  nos 
trils  of  the  bear,  telling  me  to  do  the  same,  and  thus  appease 
the  anger  of  the  bear  on  account  of  my  having  killed  her.  I 
endeavored  to  persuade  him  that  she  no  longer  had  any  life, 


WAWATAM  MAKES  A   SPEECH. 


60 1 


and    assured    him    that    I   was    under    no    apprehension    from    her 
displeasure  ;    but  the  proposition  obtained  no  credit. 

"  '  At  length,  the  feast  being1  ready,  Wawatam  commenced  a 
speech  resembling  in  many  things  his  address  to  the  manes  of 
his  departed  companions.  The  speech  ended,  we  all  ate  heartily 


IN    PURSUIT  OF   BREAKFAST. 


of    the   bear's    flesh  ;    and    even    the   head    itself,    after   remaining 
three  days  on  the  scaffold,  was  put  into  the  kettle.' ' 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Will,  as  Mr.  Longwood  laid  down  the 
book,  "  I  believe  that  the  popular  idea  that  the  Indians  were 
wonderfully  skilful  as  hunters  is  a  mistake.  I  have  in  my  book 


602  THOMPSON  GOES  A-FISHING. 

here  an  account  of  how  a  white  man  taught  them  how  to  catch 
fish.  It  will  only  take  a  moment  to  read  it. 

"  '  We  diverted  ourselves  several  days  by  catching  rock-fish 
in  a  small  creek.  The  Indians  fished  in  the  night  with  lights, 
and  struck  the  fish  with  spears.  The  rock-fish  here,  when  they 
begin  first  to  run  up  the  creek  to  spawn,  are  exceedingly  fat. 
The  first  night  we  scarcely  caught  fish  enough  for  present  use 
for  all  that  was  in  the  town. 

"  '  The  next  morning  I  met  with  a  prisoner  at  this  place  by 
the  name  of  Thompson,  who  had  been  taken  from  Virginia. 
He  told  me,  if  the  Indians  would  only  omit  disturbing  the  fish 
for  one  night,  he  could  catch  more  than  the  whole  town  could 
make  use  of.  I  told  Thompson,  that,  if  he  were  certain  he  could 
do  this,  I  would  use  my  influence  with  the  Indians  to  let  the 
fish  alone  for  one  night.  I  applied  to  the  chiefs,  who  agreed  to 
my  proposal,  and  said  they  were  anxious  to  see  what  the  Great 
Knife  (as  they  called  the  Virginian)  could  do.  Thompson,  with 
the  assistance  of  some  other  prisoners,  set  to  work,  and  made  a 
hoop-net  of  elm-bark.  They  then  cut  down  a  tree  across  the 
creek,  and  stuck  in  stakes  at  the  lower  side  of  it,  to  prevent 
the  fish  from  passing  up,  leaving  only  a  gap  at  one  side  of  the 
creek.  Here  he  sat  with  his  net,  and,  when  he  felt  the  fish 
touch  the  net,  he  drew  it  up,  and  frequently  would  haul  out  two 
or  three  rock-fish  that  would  weigh  about  five  or  six  pounds  each. 
He  continued  at  this  until  he  had  hauled  out  about  a  wagon- 
load,  and  then  left  the  gap  open  in  order  to  let  them  pass  up, 
for  they  could  not  go  far  on  account  of  the  shallow  water.  Before 
day  he  shut  it  up  to  prevent  them  from  passing  down,  in  order 


THE  INGENUITY  OF  THE    VIRGINIAN.  603- 

to   let   the    Indians    have    some    diversion   in  killing  them  in  day 
light. 

"  '  When  the  news  of  the  fish  came  to  town,  the  Indians 
all  collected,  and  with  surprise  beheld  the  large  pile  of  fish,  and 
applauded  the  ingenuity  of  the  Virginian.  When  they  saw  the 
number  of  them  that  were  confined  in  the  water  above  the  tree, 
the  young  Indians  ran  back  to  the  town,  and  in  a  short  time 
returned  with  their  spears,  etc.,  and  were  the  chief  part  of  that 
day  engaged  in  killing  rock-fish,  insomuch  that  we  had  more 
than  we  could  use  or  preserve.' ' 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

SATURDAY  morning  dawned  bright 
and  clear.  The  sunlight  fell  in  long 
bars  across  the  floor  of  the  rooms 
where  the  girls  slept ;  and  finally 
one  ray,  growing  bolder  than  its 
fellows,  fell  full  upon  Carrie's  closed 
eyelids,  forcing  them  open.  She 
sat  up  sleepily,  half  inclined  to  lie 
down  again  ;  but  at  that  moment 
the  clock  began  solemnly  to  strike  : 
one,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven, 
eight.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
done  but  to  get  up. 

Lou  and  Gertrude  were  soon 
roused  by  Carrie's  movements. 

Rose  and  Kate  in  the  next  room  were  apparently  already  up ; 
for  through  the  closed  door  they  could  be  heard  singing  softly. 
Carrie  threw  the  door  open,  and  they  were  all  soon  chatting 
away  as  fast  as  ever  before.  Rose  presently,  for  mere  lightness 
of  heart,  broke  out  singing  again  ;  and  one  after  another  they 
604 


A    CHRISTMAS  CAROL.  605 


all    joined   in,    making    the    room    ring   with    their   sweet   voices. 
It  was  a  Christmas  carol. 

Tis  said,  —  at  that  blessed  season 

(Kept  alike  in  heaven  and  earth), 
When  the  winter  wild  winds  usher  in 

The  time  of  the  Saviour's  birth,  — 
That  above,  in  great  high  heaven, 

The  dear  Lord  Christ  again 
Becomes  once  more  a  little  child 

As  when  he  came  to  men. 
And  with  all  the  baby-angels 

He  plays  in  childish  play 
Through  the  winding  courts  of  heaven 

For  one  long  heavenly  day. 

The  holy  saints  and  martyrs, 

Who  through  toil  have  entered  in, 
Look  on  with  the  blessed  penitents 

Now  shrived  from  every  sin ; 
And  anon  they  break  into  chaunting, 

Led  by  the  seraphim. 

Lord  Christ,  in  this  joyous  pleasaunce 

Grant  unto  us  to  share ; 
Make  us  as  little  children, 

That  we  may  enter  there. 

"  We  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  as 
they  came  trooping  down  stairs  in  a  body,  and  found  all  waiting 
for  them,  "  for  a  very  pleasant  little  concert.  Have  you  looked 
out  of  the  window,  and  seen  what  a  glorious  day  it  is  ?  The 


<5o6  WHOA ! 

snow  is  all  gone,  and  the  weather  is  warm  and  mild.  It  is  like 
Indian  summer." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  this  morning  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"  The  big  wagon  is  to  be  at  the  door  at  ten,  and  I  am  going 
to  take  you  all  to  drive,"  said  Tom. 

"  It  will  have  to  be  a  pretty  big  wagon  to  hold  us  all,"  said 
Rose. 

"  Just  wait  until  you  see  it,"  said  Tom. 

And  surely  enough,  when  ten  o'clock  came,  and  with  it  the 
big  wagon,  it  was  found  to  be  a  huge  affair.  There  were  four 
seats,  and  each  seat  held  three  people  comfortably.  Two  big 
strong  horses  were  before  it ;  and  with  much  laughter  they  all 
climbed  in,  —  Tom,  Rose,  and  Will  in  front,  and  the  rest  in  the 
other  seats  behind. 

It  was  just  the  morning  for  a  drive.  The  big  horses  plodded 
steadily  on  ;  the  boys  jumping  out  to  lighten  their  load  when 
the  way  led  up  some  hill,  and  then  scrambling  back,  or  running 
races  alongside.  In  one  sunny  hollow  they  came  on  a  great 
cluster  of  wild  asters  which  the  snow  had  not  blighted,  and  they 
picked  handfuls  for  the  girls.  They  found  the  red  bitter-sweet, 
too,  running  on  the  fences ;  and  in  one  place  the  scarlet  berry 
of  the  black-alder  flamed  out  against  a  background  of  gray 
woods.  After  a  little,  their  wagon  looked  like  a  great  moving 
mass  of  red  and  purple,  from  the  quantity  that  the  girls'  arms 
held.  The  sun  grew  warmer,  so  that  they  loosened  their  wraps  ; 
and  presently,  when  they  passed  a  tiny  house  close  by  the  road 
side,  in  whose  window  was  a  sign,  "  Sarsaparilla  and  root-beer," 
there  broke  simultaneously  from  every  one  of  the  party  the  cry, 
"Whoa:" 


WE  ARE  SO   THIRSTY/  607 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Tom,  drawing  in  the  horses. 

"  We  are  so  thirsty  !  "  they  said.     "  Don't  you  see  the  sign  ?  " 

A  little  man  bent  nearly  double  came  out  of  the  door. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Longwood.  "  Sarsaparilla,  yes, 
sir ;  root-beer,  yes,  sir ;  nice  and  cool,  hanging  in  the  well, 
sir  ;  "  and  he  toddled  around  the  house,  Jack  and  Charlie  at  his 
heels,  and  commenced  turning  an  old  windlass.  They  both  took 
a  hand ;  and  in  a  moment  up  came  a  big  basket  full  of  bottles, 
each  as  cold  as  ice.  How  good  it  tasted  !  The  old  man  chinked 
the  money  in  his  hand  that  Mr.  Longwood  gave  him,  and 
looked  at  them  with  great  satisfaction  as  they  emptied  bottle 
after  bottle.  This  was  a  party  just  after  his  own  heart. 

They  drove  on,  feeling  much  refreshed,  and  presently  found 
themselves  back  in  the  little  village  near  their  home.  To  their 
astonishment,  the  bell  of  the  school  was  ringing,  and  the  scholars 
hurrying  in  the  door. 

"  It  must  be  one  o'clock,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  We  have 
been  driving  three  hours." 

"  It  seems  not  half  that  time,"  said  the  boys. 

"  Stop  at  the  post-office,  Tom,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

So  they  drew  up  there.  Presently  Mr.  Longwood  came  out 
with  his  hands  full  of  letters,  which  he  handed  to  the  young 
people.  "  I  find  one  among  my  own,"  he  said,  "  which  needs 
an  immediate  answer.  I  will  write  it  here,  and  then  walk  home. 
Don't  wait  for  me." 

Three  or  four  of  the  party  at  once  said  that  they  would 
walk  too ;  and  their  example  proved  so  contagious,  that  Mrs. 
Longwood,  Tom,  and  Will  found  themselves  left  alone. 


608  HELP,    HELP !    CYNTHY'S  IN  THE   WELL. 

"  Well,  it  will  be  just  so  much  easier  for  the  horses,"  said 
Tom,  and  drove  on. 

As  they  came  to  their  door,  they  were  met  by  the  old  grand 
mother,  wringing  her  hands. 

"  Help,  help  !  "  she  cried.     "  Little  Cynthy's  in  the  well !  " 

Now,  it  happened  that  Mrs.  Longwood,  too,  had  got  out  a 
little  way  back,  saying  that  she  would  sit  down  by  the  roadside, 
and  wait  for  the  others.  Had  she  been  with  them,  she  could 
have  told  them  that  there  was  no  such  person  in  the  world ; 
but,  knowing  nothing  of  the  old  lady's  fancy,  the  boys  were 
struck  with  alarm. 

"  Tie  the  horses,  Will,"  cried  Tom.  "  I'll  run  to  the  barn  for 
Daniels  and  a  rope ; "  and,  springing  out,  he  made  off  at  the  top 
of  his  speed. 

Daniels  was  thrashing.  Tom  burst  .  in  on  him  breathless. 
"  Little  Cynthy's  in  the  well !  "  he  exclaimed. 

Daniels  slowly  dropped  his  flail,  and  wiped  his  brow  with  his 
sleeve.  Tom  looked  at  him  in  astonishment.  What  kind  of  a 
father  was  this,  who  did  not  care  whether  or  no  his  child  was 
drowned  ?  Perhaps  he  had  not  heard  aright. 

"  In  the  well !  "  he  exclaimed.     "  Cynthy's  in  the  well !  " 

"  And    'tain't   the    first   time,    neither,"    said    Daniels    stolidly 
Then,  going  to  a  corner  of  the  barn,  he    took    a   long  pole    that 
stood    there.     In    one    end   was    a   sharp    iron    something   like    a 
harpoon.       He   threw   the    pole    over   his    shoulder,    and    walked 
slowly  toward  the  well. 

They  found  Will  bending  over,  and  looking  in. 

"  She's  on  top  of  the  water,"  he  exclaimed,  "  but  face 
downward." 


LITTLE   CYNTHY,  MY  YOUNGEST.  609 

The  old  grandmother  ran  back  and  forth,  wringing1  her  hands, 
and  feebly  crying  for  help. 

"  You  run  in  and  get  blankets  ready,"  said  Daniels  kindly. 
"  I'll  get  her  out  all  right." 

So  the  old  lady  toddled  in  to  get  blankets ;  and  Daniels, 
turning  the  pole  so  that  the  sharp  end  was  down,  lowered  it 
into  the  well,  and  stabbed  it  into  the  back  of  little  Cynthy. 
Then  he  commenced  drawing  it  up  ;  and,  before  the  boys  could 
express  their  horror  of  this  fiendish  treatment,  little  Cynthy  lay, 
a  wet  and  drabbled  spectacle,  on  the  grass  beside  them.  It  was, 
as  you  all  know,  no  real  baby  at  all,  but  a  big  stuffed  doll. 

"  Why  —  why  !  "  they  stammered  in  astonishment.  "  We 
thought  it  was  little  Cynthy." 

"  So  'tis,"  said  Daniels,  "  little  Cynthy,  my  youngest ;  that 
is,  'cording  to  mother-in-law.  She's  a  little  cracked,  you  know. 
Says  it  takes  after  me  in  looks,  more  than  its  mother,"  he  went 
on,  gazing  with  amusement  at  its  flabby  features. 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  when  the  boys  had  had  their  laugh 
out,  taking  it  up  by  one  leg  to  shake  the  water  off,  "  I 
don't  know  but  it's  better'n  if  'twas  a  real  child.  Gives  its 
grandmother  just  as  much  pleasure,  and  I  don't  have  to  walk 
the  floor  o'  nights  as  I  did  with  the  real  one  ;  "  and,  so  saying, 
he  walked  to  the  back-door,  and  handed  it  over  to  the  old .  lady, 
who  stood  waiting  with  a  blanket  in  hand.  Then  he  unfastened 
the  horses,  and  led  them  off  to  the  barn,  while  Tom  and  Will 
set  off  to  meet  the  rest  of  their  party,  and  tell  them  the  story 
of  little  Cynthy. 

They  all  had  a  hearty  laugh  ;   but  this  was   not   the   last   that 


6 io  MR.   LONGWOOD   RISES   TO    THE  SITUATION. 

they  were  to  hear  of  the  old  grandmother  on  that  day,  as  you 
shall  presently  know. 

It  was  about  half-past  three  o'clock.  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the 
girls  had  gone  up  stairs  for  a  nap  ;  the  boys  were  out  in  the 
barn,  listening  to  some  wonderful  story  that  Daniels  was  telling 
them  ;  and  Mr.  .Longwood  had  taken  a  book  out  on  the  sunny 
porch.  The  book  was  a  little  dull,  the  sun  was  warm,  and  he 
was  tired.  Presently  he  began  to  nod ;  then  he  stretched  him 
self  at  full-length,  and,  with  his  hands  under  his  head,  dropped 
off  asleep.  He  was  roused  presently  by  some  one  kicking  him. 
He  looked  up  drowsily.  It  was  the  grandmother.  Her  old  eyes 
.iad  probably  mistaken  him  for  her  grandson.  She  pushed  him 
vigorously  with  her  foot. 

"  Git  up  !  "  she  cried,  "  you  dirty  child,  a-lyin'  there,  and  silin' 
of  your  clothes.  Git  up,  or  I'll  tell  your  mammy,  and  she'll  give 
you  a  whippin'.  Git  up,  I  say  !  " 

Thus  adjured,  Mr.  Longwood  slowly  rose.  He  was  a  tall 
man  ;  and,  as  he  came  to  an  upright  position,  she  gazed  at  him 
at  first  with  blank  astonishment,  and  then  with  alarm. 

"  Land  o'  Goshen  !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  a  tramp  !  Where's  the 
dog  ? "  and  she  toddled  off  the  porch,  and  hurried  around  the 
house. 

Mr.  Longwood  looked  after  her  for  fully  a  minute  with  an 
amused  smile  ;  then  suddenly  the  meaning  of  her  words  flashed 
upon  him.  She  had  gone  to  let  that  savage  brute  loose. 

He  had  no  time  to  lose.  He  heard  the  chain  clank.  The 
door  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  house  from  the  porch.  The 
windows  were  all  shut.  He  dropped  his  book,  and  ran  with  all 


. 
THE  DOG   WAS  AFTER  HIM.  611 

his  might.  When  he  was  about  ten  feet  from  safety,  he  looked 
over  his  shoulder.  The  dog  was  after  him,  about  forty  feet 
away,  and  the  dog  had  four  legs  to  his  two.  Never  before  did 
Mr.  Longwood  move  so  actively ;  and  it  was  well  he  did,  for 
hardly  had  he  clapped  to  the  door  behind  him,  when  the  brute 
dashed  against  it  with  a  savage  snarl,  and  then  began  scratching 
at  it,  and  barking  furiously. 

Daniels  in  the  barn  heard  him  ;  and,  breaking  off  in  the  most 
thrilling  part  of  the  story  he  was  telling  the  boys,  seized  a  stick, 
and  set  out  on  a  run  for  the  house. 

"  It  was  not  my  first  experience  with  a  bull-dog,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood,  as  they  sat  at  dinner,  and  he  gave  them  a  descrip 
tion  of  his  late  adventure.  "  When  I  was  in  college,  I  and  one 
of  my  friends  took  a  long  walk  one  Saturday  afternoon  in  spring. 
We  made  quite  a  circuit  in  the  country  lanes,  and  came  back  to 
town  by  another  road,  on  which  was  a  toll-bridge.  It  was  not 
until  we  put  foot  on  this  bridge  that  we  remembered  that 
neither  of  us  had  a  penny  in  our  pockets.  However,  college- 
boys  do  not  stop  at  trifles,'  and  we  made  our  way  on.  The 
toll-house  was  on  the  farther  side  of  the  bridge  ;  and  when  we 
had  crossed,  and  had  come  to  it,  out  came  the  keeper.  '  A  cent 
apiece,'  he  said.  We  told  him  politely  that  we  could  not  mus 
ter  two  cents  between  us. 

"  '  Then  you  had  better  go  back,'  he  said. 

"  My  companion  explained  to  him  that  it  was  three  miles 
around  by  the  other  bridge.  '  Besides,'  said  he,  '  we  have  now 
crossed  the  bridge,  and  owe  you  two  cents  ;  if  we  go  back,  we 
shall  have  to  recross  it,  that  will  make  four  cents :  you  will 
therefore  lose  twice  as  much  as  if  you  let  us  go  on.' 


6i2  A    VERY  BAD  MAN. 


"  The  old  man  became  very  angry  at  this.  He  evidently 
thought  that  we  had  money,  but  were  trying  to  chaff  him.  He 
whistled,  and  out  of  his  house  came  a  most  villanous  bull-dog. 
I  think  it  must  have  been  the  father  of  the  one  Daniels  has. 
'  Watch  'em,'  said  the  old  man  to  the  dog ;  and  into  his  house 
he  went." 

"  What  did  you  do  ?  "  asked  the  girls. 

"  We  felt  somewhat  foolish,  I  must  confess,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  But  there  was  nothing  to  do.  We  sat  upon  the  rail 
of  the  bridge,  and  looked  at  the  view.  It  was  very  fine.  Every 
time  we  moved,  the  dog  would  show  his  teeth,  and  growl.  Now 
and  then  the  old  man  would  come  out,  and  say,  — 

"  '  Got  them  two  cents  ? ' 

"  And,  when  we  answered  that  we  had  not  two  cents,  he 
would  swear  very  badly,  and  go  back  into  the  house  again.  At 
last  he  seemed  to  believe  our  story,  and  said,  '  Do  you  really 
mean  that  you  haven't  two  cents  ? '  We  told  him  that  we  had 
already  said  so  a  dozen  times.  Then  '  go  along,'  said  he.  He 
called  his  dog  off,  and  we  went  along. 

"  The  next  day  we  walked  down,  and  each  presented  him 
with  a  cent.  Instead  of  pleasing  him,  it  made  him  more  angry 
even  than  he  was  the  day  before." 

"  He  must  have  been  a  very  bad  man,"  said  Carrie  indignantly. 

The  drive  of  the  morning  had  given  them  all  good  appetites, 
and  their  dinner  tasted  uncommonly  good.  At  last,  however,  it 
was  over,  darkness  had  fallen  again,  and,  when  they  drew  around 
the  fire,  they  settled  themselves  comfortably  to  hear  another  of 
Mr.  Longwood's  stories. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

"  THE  Spanish,  as  of  course  you  know,"  he  began,  "  had 
gained  enormous  wealth  in  the  West  Indies.  Their  cities  there 
were  most  prosperous.  Every  year  ships  loaded  with  cargoes 
of  great  value  sailed  for  Spain.  To  waylay  and  capture  one  of 
these  was  to  secure  a  fortune  for  all  concerned  ;  and  many  was 
the  proud  Don  who  had  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  Spain  at  the 
bidding  of  a  band  of  wild  sea-rovers.  Desperate  men,  they 
stopped  at  no  odds.  I  remember  one  case  where  a  small  craft, 
manned  only  by  twenty-eight  men,  took  the  ship  of  the  vice- 
admiral  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  Her  commander  had  been  warned 
during  the  day  that  that  small  sail  in  sight  was  a  pirate,  but 
replied  contemptuously,  '  What  then  !  am  I  to  be  afraid  of  such 
a  pitiful  craft  ? ' 

"  That  night,  when  all  was  dark,  the  pirate  crept  alongside. 
Her  men  had  bored  her  full  of  holes  to  sink  her  in  order  that 
every  man  might  fight  like  mad,  knowing  that  he  had  no  means 
of  escape  in  case  of  defeat.  Sword  in  hand,  they  clambered  up 
the  Spaniard's  side.  Before  her  captain  fairly  knew  that  they 
were  aboard,  he  had  a  pistol  clapped  to  his  head,  and  had  lost 
his  ship." 

613 


614 


A   FLEET  OF  FIFTEEN  SAIL. 


"  I  should  have  thought,"  said  Will,  "  that  the  great  European- 
powers  would  have  sent  their  men-of-war,  and  cleared  the  seas 
of  these  rascals." 

"  The  pirates  were  very  largely  English,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  Among  them  it  was  almost  a  matter  of  religion  to  attack  a 


THE    PIRATE    BOARDS    THE   VICE-ADMIRAL. 


Spaniard.  Besides,  even  had  the  powers  felt  disposed  to  do  as 
you  suggest,  they  might  not  have  been  able.  The  pirates,  after 
a  little,  had  great  strength.  Capt.  Henry  Morgan,  one  of  the 
most  noted  of  these  villains,  had  at  times  a  fleet  of  fifteen  sail 
and  a  thousand  men.  He  took  cities  by  storm,  and  sacked 
them,  killing,  burning,  and  torturing,  until  one's  blood  boils  at 


THEY  FELL    UPON  THE   CITY. 


the    recital.      No    deed    of    wickedness    was    too    bad   for   these 
wretches.        '  j 

"  Withal  their  bravery  was  astounding.  One  cannot  help 
being  stirred  as  he  reads  accounts  of  their  bold  deeds.  With 
but  four  hundred  men,  Morgan  attacked  the  city  of  Puerto 
Bello.  It  was  a  fortified  town,  with  a  garrison  of  three  hundred 


MORGAN'S  ATTACK. 


soldiers,  besides  the  regular  inhabitants.  Landing  his  men  at 
midnight,  they  surprised  the  sentinel  before  he  could  give  the 
alarm.  They  took  the  castle  near  the  town,  having  first  threat 
ened  the  garrison  with  death  in  case  they  refused  to  surrender, 
and  blew  it  and  them  into  the  air  by  firing  the  magazine. 
Then  they  fell  upon  the  city,  which  resisted  stubbornly.  Mor- 


6i6  A    QUARTER   OF  A   MILLION  SPANISH  DOLLARS. 

gan's  first  act  was  to  seize  all  the  monks  and  nuns  he  could  find 
in  the  convents.  He  made  these  march  before  him,  and  raise 
scaling  ladders  against  such  other  castles  as  were  not  taken, 
thinking  that  the  governor  would  not  fire  upon  them.  But  that 
worthy  was  not  to  be  stopped  by  any  feeling  of  sympathy.  He 
ordered  the  soldiers  to  shoot,  regardless  of  their  cries.  It  was 
not  till  afternoon  that  they  finally  conquered  him,  after  the  most 
obstinate  struggle  ;  and  then  they  were  obliged  to  kill  him,  for 
he  would  not  surrender,  and  fought  so  madly,  that  they  could 
not  make  him  a  prisoner. 

"  As  a  result  of  the  capture  of  the  city,  they  carried  away  a 
quarter  of  a  million  Spanish  dollars,  besides  all  the  merchandise 
with  which  they  loaded  their  ships. 

"  Morgan  was  as  crafty  as  he  was  fearless.  One  of  his  expe 
ditions  was  against  Maracaibo.  The  fort  that  protected  the 
harbor  gave  them  a  warm  reception  ;  but  they  finally  silenced 
its  guns,  and  sailed  on  to  the  town.  The  inhabitants  had  fled. 
Their  city  had  been  visited  before  by  buccaneers,  and  they  remem 
bered  too  well  what  they  had  then  suffered.  Morgan  sent  out 
into  the  country  about,  and  seized  many  who  were  in  hiding ; 
and  these  he  tortured  fearfully. 

"  At  last,  when  he  had  gotten  all  the  booty  he  could,  he 
made  ready  to  leave.  The  unpleasant  news  greeted  him  that  the 
fort  had  been  re-garrisoned,  and  that  three  Spanish  men-of-war 
lay  off  the  bar  awaiting  his  appearance.  He  sent  down  a  boat 
to  see  if  the  news  were  true,  and  found  that  it  was  :  the  ships 
mounted  forty,  thirty,  and  twenty-four  guns.  The  outlook  was 
bad  indeed,  but  Morgan  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  pre- 


MORGAN  CARRIES  OUT  A   STRATAGEM. 


pared  a  fire-ship  filled  with  pitch  and  powder,  and  stationed  on 
its  deck  logs  dressed  in  clothes  to  represent  men.  It  was 
steered  against  the  largest  of  the  men-of-war,  and  speedily  set 
her  in  a  blaze.  A  panic  seized  one  other  of  the  enemy.  Her 
crew  ran  her  ashore  and  sunk  her  ;  and  the  pirates  attacked  and 
captured  the  third. 

"  The  coast  was  now  clear,  as  far  as  the  men-of-wai-  were 
concerned  ;  but  the  fort  was  to  be  passed.  Morgan  managed 
this  by  stratagem.  All  day  long  his  boats  were  busy  landing 
men,  as  if  his  plan  were  to  assault  the  works  at  night.  The 
garrison,  thinking  this,  moved  their  heavy  guns  to  the  land-side 
of  the  fortifications.  At  dusk  he  raised  his  canvas  ;  and,  before 
they  had  time  to  bring  back  the  guns  into  position,  he  had 
re-embarked  his  men,  and  his  fleet  was  at  sea,  he  firing  a  salute 
in  mockery  as  his  ship  passed  the  chagrined  garrison." 

"  What  became  of  all  the  plunder  ?  "  asked  Charlie.  "  I 
suppose,  after  one  such  raid  as  this,  the  men  made  enough  to 
support  them  for  life." 

"  It  hardly  lasted  a  week  after  they  reached  Jamaica,  which 
was  their  headquarters,"  answered  Mr.  Longwood.  "  It  all  came 
into  the  hands  of  the  tavern-keepers  by  that  time,  and  then  the 
men  were  ready  and  anxious  to  go  off  on  another  cruise.  It  is 
satisfactory  to  find  that  these  wicked  men  received  in  this  world, 
in  many  cases,  the  punishment  they  so  richly  deserved  for  all 
their  fearful  cruelties.  Nearly  every  one  of  the  leaders  came  ta 
violent  deaths.  One  was  tortured  at  the  stake  by  savages? 
mother  came  to  his  end  in  a  dungeon  ;  and  so  on." 

"  Sacking  cities  is  hardly  one's  idea  of  piracy,"  said  Tom. 


A  VERY  APPEARS  AT  BOSTON. 


"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  •'  We  should,  perhaps,  more 
properly  call  these  men  buccaneers,  or  free-booters,  reserving  the 
title  of  '  pirates  '  for  those  who  robbed  ships  at  sea. 

"  There  was  a  man  who  appeared  at  Boston  in  the  early  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  His  name  was  Avery,  and  he  had  a 
great  quantity  of  diamonds  and  jewels  which  he  wished  to  sell. 
He  was  afraid  to  offer  them,  though,  for  fear  of  detection.  His 
story  is  a  striking  one.  He  was  mate  of  an  English  vessel 
lying  at  Bristol.  His  captain  was  a  man  fond  of  his  cups,  and 
almost  always  more  or  less  the  worse  for  liquor  after  dinner. 
Avery  laid  his  plans  accordingly.  While  the  captain  lay  in  his 
cabin  in  a  drunken  sleep,  sixteen  confederates  from  shore  came 
aboard,  fastened  down  the  hatches,  thus  taking  the  crew  pris 
oners  ;  and  Avery  took  command,  and  took  the  ship  to  sea. 

"  Presently  the  captain,  roused  by  the  motion  of  a  vessel 
which  he  supposed  to  be  quietly  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  waked, 
and  rang  his  bell.  Avery  and  one  of  his  men  at  once 
answered  it. 

-  "  '  What    is    the    matter  ?  '  demanded    the    captain.     '  Does  the 
ship  drive  ?     What  weather  is  it  ?  ' 

"  '  No,  no,'  said  Avery,  with  impudent  coolness,  '  we  are  at 
sea.  Put  on  your  clothes,  and  I'll  let  you  into  a  secret.  I  am 
captain  now,  and  this  is  my  cabin.  Therefore  you  must  walk 
out.' 

"  The  deposed  commander  was  then  informed  that  the  vessel 
was  on  a  piratical  cruise,  and  was  asked  to  go  along,  being 
promised  a  lieutenancy  if  he  behaved  well.  But  he  would  none 
of  it  :  so  he  and  five  or  six  of  his  men  who  thought  as  he 
did  were  put  ashore. 


A    PARTNERSHIP   OF  ROGUES. 


621 


"  Avery  then  sailed  for  Madagascar.  As  he  neared  it,  he  fell 
in  with  two  sloops  whose  crews  had  stolen  them.  He  proposed 
a  partnership  to  these  scamps,  and  they  agreed  at  once. 

"  By  and  by  the  lookout  espied  a  huge  ship  in  the  distance. 
They  crowded  on  all  sail,  and  soon  overtook  her.  She  carried 


AVERY  TAKES  THE   GREAT   MOGUL'S   SHIP. 


the  flag  of  the  Great  Mogul,  and  showed  fight ;  but  the  three 
pirates  attacked  her  lustily,  and  she  soon  surrendered." 

"  Who  was  the  Great  Mogul,  any  way  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  He  was  the  Emperor  of  Delhi,  and  a  mighty  man  in  those 
days,  when  England's  hold  on  India  was  very  different  from  what 


•022  THF-    GREAT  MOf'JL  LOSES  HIS   TEMPER. 

it  now  is.  He  was  so  enraged  when  he  heard  that  his  ship  had 
been  attacked,  that  he  threatened  to  exterminate  all  the  English 
in  the  East,  and  was  only  appeased  with  great  difficulty.  This 
particular  ship  had  on  board  many  of  the  chief  men  of  his 
court,  and  one  of  his  daughters,  who  were  making  a  pilgrimage, 
like  devout  Moslems,  to  the  holy  shrine  at  Mecca.  All  these 
dignitaries  travelled  in  Oriental  magnificence,  with  troops  of 
slaves  ;  and  they  bore  with  them  great  treasures,  which  were  to 
have  been  offerings  at  the  shrine." 

"  I  suspect  they  were  put  to  far  other  uses,"  said  Tom. 

"  They  were,  indeed  ;  for,  before  the  ship  was  freed,  she  was 
ransacked  from  stem  to  stern.  Avery  then  proposed  to  the  men 
of  the  sloops,  that  all  the  treasure  should  be  put  on  his  ship,  as 
the  safest  place.  No  sooner  had  he  it  all  safely  aboard,  than  he 
cracked  on  all  sail,  and  made  off  with  it,  leaving  his  late  con 
federates  to  digest  their  loss  as  best  they  were  able. 

"  When  he  came  to  the  division  with  his  own  men,  he  suc- 
.ceeded  in  outwitting  them  too  ;  so  that  his  wealth,  when  he  was 
in  Boston,  must  have  been  enormous.  But  it  was  almost  use 
less  to  him,  for  he  dared  not  turn  it  into  money.  He  went  over 
to  England,  and  lived  under  an  assumed  name.  Sharpers  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  his  jewels  away  without  giving  him  any  thing 
for  them,  and  he  was  soon  in  absolute  beggary  ;  and  when  he 
died  he  had  not  enough  to  buy  himself  a  coffin.  His  story  does 
not  need  a  moral  to  point  out  its  lessons." 

"  How  fortunate  the  people  who  lived  hereabout  in  those 
days  must  have  thought  themselves,  that  the  pirates  did  not 
roam  these  seas,  and  attack  their  towns  !  "  said  Will. 


THE  PIRATES    VISIT  BLOCK  ISLAND.  '  623 

"  They,  of  course,  did  not  suffer  as  the  Central-Americans 
did,"  said  Mr.  Longwood  ;  "  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  did  not 
get  off  scot  free.  Block  Island  was  visited  four  or  five  times 
by  them.  I  think  I  can  find  a  book  on  the  shelves  in  which 
an  account  of  their  coming  is  given.  Yes,  here  it  is.  Let  me 
see  if  I  can  find  the  place,"  he  went  on,  turning  over  the  leaves. 
"  Ah  !  here  I  have  it. 

"  '  Some  time  in  July,  1689,  three  French  privateer- vessels 
came  to  Block  Island.  They  had  an  Englishman  with  them,  one 
William  Trimming,  who  was  wont  treacherously  to  decoy  and 
betray  those  whom  they  met  at  sea,  pretending  they  were 
Englishmen.  Him  they  sent  on  shore  with  some  of  the  men, 
in  a  periauger  which  lay  off  at  a  small  distance,  whilst  he  took 
the  advantage  of  stepping  from  one  rock  to  another,  and  came 
alone  to  the  islanders,  who  were  standing  on  the  shore  in  arms, 
who  inquired  of  him  who  they  were. 

"  '  To  which  he  answered  that  they  were  Englishmen,  and 
that  they  had  done  great  exploits  among  the  Spaniards  in  the 
West  Indies  ;  that  they  were  bound  for  Newport  (which  was  so 
far  true)  ;  that  their  design  was  to  take  and  rifle  that  •  town  ;  and 
that  they  wanted  a  pilot,  and  to  be  supplied  with  fresh  provis 
ions  for  their  money.  This  was  a  plausible  and  very  pleasing 
account  to  the  inhabitants ;  and  the  islanders  were  very  well 
satisfied,  and  fearless  of  danger. 

"  '  Trimming  then  went  off  to  the  periauger  ;  and  several  that 
had  sailed  to  and  fro  Newport  in  hope  of  some  great  reward 
went  on  board.  They  no  sooner  were  got  there,  but  they  were 
immediately  clapped  under  hatches,  and  examined  on  the  strength 


024  AN  EASILY  AMUSED  PEOPLE. 

of  Newport  and  Block  Island  ;  and,  finding  this  last  not  able  to 
resist  them,  they  resolved  to  play  their  game  in  plundering  the 
people. 

"  '  Accordingly,  manning  their  three  periaugers,  with  about 
fifty  men  in  each  of  them,  they  made  for  the  harbor  (having 
their  guns  all  lying  in  the  bottom  of  their  boats,  out  of  sight), 
where  the  people  met  them,  and  were  somewhat  amused  at  their 
great  number.  But,  being  well  satisfied  that  there  was  no  monk 
ery  in  the  case,  they,  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  directed  them 
to  shun  some  sunken  rocks  that  lay  at  the  entrance  into  the 
harbor ;  and,  to  requite  their  kindness,  every  one  of  them,  as 
they  laid  to  the  wharf,  started  up  with  his  gun  presented,  and 
told  the  people,  if  they  stirred  from  the  place,  or  made  resist 
ance,  they  were  dead  men.  Thus  tamely  and  unexpectedly  they 
were  all  taken,  and  made  prisoners-of-war. 

"  '  As  they  were  thus  become  masters  of  the  island,  they  dis 
armed  the  men,  and  stove  their  guns  to  pieces  on  the  rocks, 
and  confined  the  people  in  the  house  of  Capt.  Sands.  This 
they  made  their  prison  and  rendezvous,  and  soon  set  upon  plun 
dering  houses,  and  killing  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs,  —  some  to  feed 
on,  others  for  waste  and  spoil. 

"  '  However,  news  quickly  reached  the  main  that  Block  Island 
was  taken  by  the  French,  upon  which  the  country  was  alarmed, 
and  bonfires  made  from  Connecticut  to  Massachusetts.  Perceiv 
ing  by  the  bonfires  that  the  country  was  alarmed,  they  were  dis 
couraged  from  making  an  attack  on  Newport,  and  therefore 
determined  to  attack  New  London.  Accordingly  they  sailed 
thither,  and  up  into  the  harbor.  The  country  being  alarmed, 


A    VERY  VIOLENT  RESOLUTE  FELLOW.  625 

the  men  in  the  border-towns  came  down  in  great  numbers  ;  and, 
the  fort  with  their  great  guns  firing  on  them,  they  found  the 
place  to  hot  for  them,  and  drew  off. 

"  '  Meantime  the  people  of  Newport  fitted  out  two  vessels 
with  volunteers  to  engage  them.  These  vessels  were  sloops, 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Paine,  who  had  some  years 
before  followed  the  privateering  design,  and  Capt.  Godfrey  his 
second.  They  stretched  off  to  the  southward ;  and  the  French 
discovered  them,  and  made  all  sail,  expecting  to  make  prizes  of 
them.  Accordingly  they  sent  a  periauger  full  of  men,  with 
design  to  pour  in  their  small-arms  on  them,  and  take  them,  as 
their  manner  was,  supposing  they  were  unarmed  vessels,  and 
only  bound  on  trade.  Capt.  Paine's  gunner  urged  to  fire  on 
them.  The  captain  denied,  alleging  it  more  advisable  to  let  the 
enemy  come  nearer.  But  the  gunner  still  urging  it,  being  certain 
he  should  rake  them  fore  and  aft,  thus  with  much  importunity 
the  captain  gave  him  leave.  He  fired  ;  but  the  bullet  went  wide 
of  them,  and  finally  lodged  in  a  bank,  as  they  were  not  far 
from  the  shore.  This  brought  them  to  row  off  as  fast  as  they 
could,  and  wait  until  their  vessels  came  up. 

"  '  When  they  came,  they  bore  down  on  the  English  ;  and  a 
very  hot  sea-fight  for  several  hours  followed,  the  great  barque 
foremost  pouring  in  a  broadside  with  small-arms.  Ours  bravely 
answered  them.  Then  followed  the  larger  sloop,  the  captain 
whereof  was  a  very  violent,  resolute  fellow.  He  took  a  glass  of 
wine  to  drink,  and  wished  it  might  be  his  destruction  if  he  did 
not  board  them  immediately.  But,  as  he  was  drinking,  a  bullet 
struck  him  in  the  neck,  with  which  he  instantly  fell  down  dead. 


026 


THE  PRIVATEERS  ARE  FLEET  OF  FOOT. 


However,  they  con 
tinued  the  fight  until 
the  night  came  on, 
and  prevented  their 
further  conflict.  Our 
men  as  valiantly  paid 
them  back  in  their 
own  coin. 

"  '  Our  men  ex 
pected  a  second  en 
counter  in  the  morn 
ing  ;  but,  having 
found  the  engage 
ment  too  hot  for 
them,  they  hoisted 
their  sails,  and  stood 
off  to  sea.  The  Eng 
lish  pursued  them  ; 
but  the  privateers, 
being  choice  sailors, 
were  too  fleet  of  foot 
for  them.'  " 

"  I  should  hardly 
have  thought  that 
it  would  have  paid 
them  to  take  such  a 
place  as  Block  Is 
land,"  said  CharJie, 


BUSY    WITH   THE   HARVEST. 


THE  PRINT  OF  THEIR  HEELS  IN  THE   OCEAN.  627 

"  They  could  have  found  little  booty  to  carry  away.  What  they 
wanted  was  money,  not  crops." 

"  One  would  think  so,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  But 
they  came  back  again  within  a  year,  when  the  men  were  in  the 
fields  busy  with  the  harvest,  and  again  at  two  other  times 
later  on.  Perhaps  it  was  the  want  of  fresh  meat  that  brought 
them.  The  third  time  they  came  to  grief. 

"  They  landed  on  a  Sunday  morning,  and  marched  up  from 
the  harbor,  with  colors  flying,  and  were  speedily  at  their  old  work 
of  robbing  and  burning  houses,  and  wantonly  killing  stock. 
There  was  no  one  to  oppose  them.  Probably  all,  like  our 
narrator,  had  taken  to  hiding  at  their  approach,  considering  dis 
cretion  the  better  part  of  valor.  From  a  safe  retreat  he  was 
watching  their  doings,  when  suddenly,  as  the  heavy  fog  lifted, 
he  saw  an  English  man-of-war  riding  at  anchor  close  at  hand. 
The  pirates  saw  her  too,  and  made  all  haste  to  get  back  to 
their  vessels,  and  put  to  sea.  The  man-of-war  made  all  sail,  and 
pursued  them.  The  fog  settled  down  again  ;  and  the  French  ran 
into  a  bay,  thinking  their  pursuer  would  sail  by.  But  she,  '  as 
if  she  followed  the  print  of  their  heels  in  the  ocean,'  came  in 
upon  them,  and  took  them.  Some  forty  of  the  men,  when  she 
suddenly  loomed  up  out  of  the  fog  right  upon  them,  took  to 
the  small  boats,  and  got  ashore  ;  but  the  people  there  seized  and 
sent  them  off  prisoners  to  Boston,  and  the  pirate  craft  was 
condemned  at  Newport." 

"  I  remember  to  have  heard  of  a  ship  that  was  commanded 
by  a  Quaker,"  said  Ned.  "  He  was  fired  into  by  a  privateer 
schooner;  and,  as  his  religious  principles  did  not  allow  him  to 


628  CAPTAIN  READ  FROM  NEWPORT. 

make  resistance,  he  was  about  to  surrender  his  ship.  His  first 
officer,  however,  did  not  propose  to  yield  up  a  fine  vessel  tamely : 
and  he  urged  his  views  so  strongly,  that  the  captain  finally  agreed 
to  go  to  his  cabin,  and  let  him  take  command  of  the  ship  for 
a  little  while  ;  and  so  he  disappeared  down  the  companion-way. 

"  Presently  his  interest  or  curiosity  grew  so  strong,  that  he 
could  not  stay  below ;  and  he  came  up  the  ladder,  and  watched 
what  was  going  on.  '  Charles,'  he  said  quietly,  after  a  moment, 
to  the  first  officer,  '  if  thee  intends  to  run  down  that  schooner, 
thee  had  better  put  thy  helm  a  leetle  more  to  starboard.'  The 
helm  was  put  to  starboard ;  and  the  great  ship  went  over  the 
privateer,  sinking  her  instantly,  and  drowning  every  man  aboard." 

"  I  remember  to  have  heard  that  story,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 
"  The  ship,  I  think,  hailed  from  Newport.  Privateering  on  all  the 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  shore  came  to  be  an  every-day 
occurrence  during  the  Revolution.  Dozens  of  privateers  made 
their  headquarters  at  Newport.  Of  course  sailing  up  to  a  mer 
chant-vessel  with  your  guns  trained  on  her,  and  making  her  haul 
down  her  flag,  is  not  an  action  requiring  any  very  great  bravery 
or  heroism  ;  but  privateering  grew  to  be  a  much  more  serious 
business  when  the  British,  too,  put  out  their  privateers.  There 
was  some  very  hard  fighting  between  the  rival  crafts.  A  certain 
Capt.  Read  from  Newport  had  quite  an  active  experience  of  this 
sort.  He  commanded  a  privateer  with  varying  success,  now  tak 
ing  a  prize,  and  then  being  made  a  prisoner,  until,  in  the  course 
of  events,  he  found  himself  in  the  command  of  a  new  and  trim 
brig.  He  sailed  out  of  port,  and  at  first  was  very  successful, 
taking  several  prizes. 


AN  ESCAPE  FROM  A   PRISON-SHIP.  629 

"  Among  his  crew,  however,  was  a  Tory  in  disguise,  named 
Crandall.  This  man,  in  some  way  which  I  have  never  under 
stood,  got  control  of  the  brig,  delivered  up  Read  to  the  Jersey 
prison-ship  in  New- York  Harbor,  and,  hoisting  the  British  flag, 
speedily  carried  the  brig  over  to  the  enemy's  side. 

"  Read,  however,  had  no  mind  to  sit  down  tamely  and  sub 
mit.  He  bent  all  his  thoughts  on  a  means  of  getting  away. 
Three  or  four  others  agreed  with  him  to  escape,  or  die  in  the 
attempt.  For  some  time  no  chance  offered.  At  length,  one 
night  the  prison-boat  returned  from  shore  with  provisions.  Wait 
ing  until  its  load  was  discharged,  the  conspirators,  at  a  given 
signal,  leaped  over  the  side  into  it,  cut  the  painter,  and  pulled 
madly  for  shore.  The  guard  fired  ;  but  they  fortunately  escaped 
the  bullets  that  came  flying  around  them,  and  a  snow-storm  for 
tunately  began  which  hid  them  entirely.  That  night  they  suc 
ceeded  in  landing  on  Long  Island  ;  and  Read  was  soon  back  in 
Newport. 

"  He  at  once  secured  a  fresh  vessel  well  armed,  and  set  sail 
to  find  his  treacherous  friend.  He  was  not  long  in  coming  upon 
him,  and,  letting  fly  a  broadside,  showed  himself  to  the  aston 
ished  man,  who  thought  him  fast  bound  on  the  prison-ship.  A 
•cannon-ball  took  off  the  Tory's  head ;  and  presently  Read 
re-appeared  in  Newport  Harbor  with  his  old  brig  following  him 
as  a  prize." 

"  A  man  in  those  days  must  have  needed  a  clear  head,  and 
a  cool  one  too,"  said  Charlie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  This  very  man  Read  did  one 
act  that  required  just  such  qualities.  He  heard  off  Sandy  Hook 


630  ARE    WE  GOING    TO  NEW   YLRKf 

that  a  vessel  from  Providence  had  been  captured,  and  was  on 
her  way  to  New  York  under  the  charge  of  a  prize-crew.  He 
made  haste  to  moor  his  own  vessel  out  of  sight ;  and  presently 
the  captured  craft  came  in  sight,  and  anchored  outside  to  wait 
for  a  pilot.  Read  appeared  alongside  with  a  few  men  to  man 
his  boat,  and  offered  his  services,  which  were  accepted.  The 
wind  favoring,  he  at  once  put  her  head  eastward  for  Newport. 
The  prize-master  suspected  nothing  until  they  had  nearly  reached 
there.  Then  he  began  to  suspect  this  pilot  and  his  stalwart 
companions. 

"  '  Are  we  going  to  New  York  ? '  he  demanded. 

"  '  No,  sir,  no  ! '  said  the  pilot.  '  We  are  going  to  Newport.' 
And  to  Newport  he  went." 


CHAPTER   X. 

SUNDAY  evening,  as  they 
sat  about  the  fire  after  din 
ner  was  over,  Jack  heaved  a 
sigh  so  long  that  it  seemed 
to  come  from  his  very  boots. 
"  Why,  Jack  !  "  they  ex 
claimed.  "  What  a  depth 
of  woe  that  sigh  betokens  ! 
What  is  the  matter?" 

"  I  was  thinking,"  said 
Jack  mournfully,  "  that  to 
morrow  is  Monday,  and  that 
old  Grinder  is  lying  in  wait 
for  us." 

"  It  is  a  bad  lookout,  isn't  it  ? "  said  Tom.  "  I  suppose,  that, 
if  we  take  the  early  train,  we  could  be  at  school  by  half-past 
ten." 

"  And,  with  no  lessons  learned,  of  course  we  should  be  kept 
in,"  said  Charlie.  "  I  have  an  idea.  What  fun  it  would  be  if 
we  could  get  aboard  one  of  those  great  tows  of  canal-boats  that 

631 


632  IT  WOULD  BE  SUCH  A  LARK! 

run  down  the  river  all  the  time,  and  go  home  that  way !  We 
could  learn  ever  so  much  of  the  history  of  the  Highlands  as 
we  passed  through  them,  and  it  would  be  such  a  lark !  " 

"So  it  would,"  said  all  the  boys.  "  Just  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Longwood  comes  home,  let's  suggest  it  to  him,  and  see  what  he 
says." 

Mr.  Longwood  was  spending  the  evening  with  his  friend  Dr. 
Stone,  who  had  sent  up  for  him  a  little  before. 

"  I  suppose  it  would  hardly  do  for  us  girls ;  would  it, 
mamma  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"  Hardly,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  But  if  your  father  takes 
up  with  Charlie's  plan,  as  I  think  he  may,  we  will  not  go  until 
the  afternoon  train,  and  so  have  another  morning." 

There  was  such  an  outburst  of  joy  at  this,  that  the  trim 
woman  opened  the  door  from  the  kitchen,  and  asked,  — 

"  Did  you  call,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Jack,  "  the  thing  is  settled,  because  Mr. 
Longwood  will  be  sure  to  agree  if  Mrs.  Longwood  asks  him. 
What  larks  !  " 

"  Come,  young  people,"  said  that  lady  after  a  little  :  "  we  are 
in  danger  of  forgetting  that  it  is  Sunday.  Sit  down  quietly,  and 
I  will  say  to  you  a  piece  of  poetry  that  I  learned  not  long 
since." 

So  they  all  drew  up  in  a  circle,  and  endeavored  to  dismiss 
the  thoughts  of  to-morrow's  expedition  from  their  minds,  though, 
I  must  confess,  with  only  partial  success.  And  Mrs.  Longwood 
began. 

"It  is  called,"  she  said,  — 


COHORTS  OF  ANGELS  FLYING.  633 

THE   FIRST  CHRISTMAS. 

The  mighty  sentinel  angels 

That  keep  heaven's  court  of  guard, 
Pacing  her  high-hung  battlements 

In  zealous  watch  and  ward, 
Descry,  o'er  distant  leagues  of  space, 

Cohorts  of  angels  flying 
Heavenward,  from  where  adown  the  gulf 

Earth  is  in  darkness  lying. 

And  they  wave  on  high  their  flaming  swords, 

As  they  hold  their  onward  course, 
And  clash  afresh  their  golden  shields, 

And  break  into  chorus  hoarse,  — 
"  Another  chain  is  forged  around 

The  great  dragon  underground :  " 
The  flash  of  their  shields  is  the  lightning, 

Their  voice  the  thunder  sound. 

They  crowd  the  wide-flung  gates  of  heaven, 

And  now  the  golden  street 
Re-echoes  to  their  clanging  mail 

And  the  tread  of  marching  feet. 
And  the  great  archangel  Michael 

Leads  through  the  heavenly  town, 
Till  before  the  awful  throne  of  God 

They  fall  in  silence  down. 

"The  babe  is  born  in  Bethlehem; 

We  have  seen  the  God  made  man; 
And  the  old  arch-dragon  pale  with  fright 

At  the  wave  of  an  infant's  hand. 


634  JACK  APPROVES   THE  POETRY. 

And  above  the  noise  of  the  burning  pit, 

Clear  coming  to  the  ear, 
We  heard  the  shouts  of  the  souls  in  prison, 

That  knew  deliverance  near." 

i 

"  Glory  to  God  !  "  —  the  heavenly  choir 

Break  into  rapturous  song, 
Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  throats 

The  silver  notes  prolong. 
"  Glory  to  God  on  high,  on  earth 

Be  peace,  good-will  to  men  !  " 
The  mailed  host  with  thunderous  noise 

Take  up  the  loud  refrain ; 
The  very  walls  of  heaven  shake 

At  the  sound  of  the  grand  Amen. 

"  It  is  perfectly  splendid,"  said  Jack,  when  she  finished.  "  I 
wonder  how  many  canal-boats  there  are  in  one  of  these  big 
tows." 

Mrs.  Longwood  laughed.  "  I  am  afraid  that  my  poetry 
failed  to  change  the  current  of  Jack's  thoughts,  at  least.  Let  us 
sing  a  hymn  or  two." 

Carrie  began  "  Abide  with  me,"  and  soon  their  clear  fresh 
voices  joined  in  the  harmony.  They  were  all  fond  of  singing, 
and  one  after  the  other  started  some  favorite  air.  Presently, 
looking  up,  they  discovered  that  the  kitchen-door  was  half-way 
open,  and  that  the  old  grandmother  was  standing  by  it  listening. 
She  was  nodding  and  mumbling  softly  to  herself;  and  when,  after 
a  time,  they  stopped,  she  moved  away. 

"  Didn't  she  look  just  like  a  witch  ?  "  asked  Lou.  "  One  could 
fancy  that  she  was  muttering  evil  spells  as  she  stood  there." 


A    COUPLE   OF  HUNDRED    YEARS  AGO.  635 

"  Her  looks  might  have  brought  her  to  the  gallows,  a  couple 
of  hundred  years  ago,  in  New  England,"  said  Will. 

"  Did  any  one  ever  suffer  death  in  this  country  for  being  a 
witch  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  It  is  a  very  dark  blot 
on  our  country's  history." 

"  Do  tell  us  about  it,"  said  they  all,  drawing  their  chairs 
closer.  Even  Jack,  at  the  mention  of  the  word  "  witch,"  forgot 
about  the  number  of  boats  in  a  tow,  and  leaned  forward  much 
interested. 

"  In  the  town  of  Salem,  near  Boston,  in  the  year  1692," 
began  Mrs.  Longwood,  "  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Parris,  one  of  the 
ministers  of  the  place,  there  were  two  young  girls,  —  his  daugh 
ter,  about  nine  years  old,  and  his  niece  Abigail  Williams,  about 
eleven.  These  two  girls  had  several  friends  somewhat  older 
than  themselves  ;  and  they  were  in  the  habit  of  having  meetings 
to  practise  palmistry,  and  such  foolish  amusements.  Presently 
the  minister's  daughter  and  niece  began  to  have  strange  attacks, 
somewhat  like  fits.  It  was  probably,  in  the  outset,  nothing  more 
than  what  is  now  called  hysteria,  which  all  young  girls  who  are 
not  very  strong  are  liable  to  have.  Instead  of  treating  it  as 
such,  Mr.  Parris  called  in  several  of  his  brother  clergymen,  who 
looked  at  the  children  in  their  fits,  and  prayed  over  them,  but 
had  no  more  common-sense  in  the  matter  than  he. 

"  The  children  in  the  mean  while,  finding  themselves  the 
objects  of  so  much  public  attention,  began  to  have  fits  harder 
than  ever ;  and  their  young  companions,  too,  broke  out  with  them. 
People  in  those  days  believed  in  a  very  active,  ever-present, 


636  THE  AFFLICTED   CHILDREN. 

bodily  Devil.  They  believed  that  there  could  be  witches  as  truly 
as  in  the  days  of  Saul.  And  they  thought  that  Satan  could  only 
practise  his  evil  arts  on  a  human  being  through  another  human 
being.  So  they  set  themselves  to  find  out  who  these  persons 
were  that  Satan  was  thus  using  to  torment  the  children.  They 
exhorted  them  to  tell  who  it  was  that  persecuted  them.  And 
the  children  called  out  the  names  of  three  women  who  they 
said  did  it.  One  of  these  was  Tituba,  the  slave  of  Mr.  Parris. 
He  tied  her  neck  and  heels,  and  beat  her  until  she  confessed 
every  thing  he  suggested  to  her.  On  her  examination  by  the 
court,  she  avowed  that  she  had  made  a  compact  with  Satan,  and 
signed  his  book,  and  that  she  rode  to  his  meetings  on  a  pole 
through  the  air. 

"  It  is  a  sickening  story.  The  '  afflicted  children,'  as  they 
were  called,  denounced  person  after  person.  On  their  assertion 
alone,  the  accused  were  arrested.  When  brought  into  court  for 
examination,  the  children  would  fall  down  in  their  fits,  declaring 
that  the  prisoners  were  pinching  them,  and  sticking  pins  into 
them,  by  their  apparitions.  The  people  were  wild  with  excite 
ment,  believing  it  all.  The  magistrates  were  bigoted.  Nineteen 
innocent  people  were  hung  as  witches." 

"  Were  they  poor  people  ?  I  mean,  people  without  friends," 
asked  Charlie. 

"  A  few  were,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  But  many  were  of  the 
highest  social  position.  One  was  a  clergyman.  Though  a  very 
small  man,  he  was  enormously  strong  ;  and  this  was  thought  to 
be  a  proof  of  his  being  a  witch,  as  no  one  unless  helped  from 
an  evil  source  could  have  done  such  deeds.  One  of  his  accusers 


ALL    THE    WITCHES  MOUNTED    THEIR  BROOMS, 


637 


testified,  beside,  that  he  had  a  trumpet,  the  sound  of  which  could 
be  heard  through  all  the  townships  about.  When  he  blew  it, 
all  the  witches  mounted  their  brooms,  and  came  flying  through 
the  air  to  the  meeting." 


ON    THEIR   WAY  TO   THE    MEETING. 


"  What  perfect  nonsense  !  "  said  Tom.  "  Did  people  actually 
believe  such  stuff?" 

"  They  did,  indeed  ;  and  it  cost  the  minister  his  life.  The 
case  off  Giles  and  Martha  Corey  was  a  very  hard  one.  Giles 
Corey  was  a  man  of  violent  temper,  who  was  always  coming  into 
conflict  with  his  neighbors,  and  was  most  unpopular.  Late  in  life 
he  had  repented  of  his  ways  ;  but  the  habits  of  a  life-time  are 
not  easily  laid  aside.  When  the  question  of  witchcraft  first  came 


638 


HE    USED    VERY  STRONG  LANGUAGE. 


up,  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  it.  His  wife,  however,  who  was  a 
thoroughly  good  woman,  was  not.  He  was  so  provoked  at  her 
differing  from  him,  that  he  used  very  strong  language  about  her 


MARTHA    COREY    IN    PRISON. 


in  public.  It  was  soon  known  to  the  afflicted  children  that 
Martha  Corey  thought  them  deluded,  and  they  immediately  cried 
out  upon  her  as  a  witch.  Her  past  blameless  life  could  not  save 


HO  W  PERFECTL  Y  A  WFUL  !  639 

her :  she  was  hung.  Parris  and  two  of  his  deacons  visited  her 
in  prison,  and  excommunicated  her. 

"  Giles  Corey's  eyes  were  opened  by  the  attack  upon  his 
wife ;  and  soon  he,  too,  was  cried  out  on.  He  was  a  man  of 
iron  nerve,  though  eighty-one  years  old.  He  formed  his  plans, 
and  held  to  them.  He  would  not  be  tried  as  a  witch  ;  and  no 
relative  of  his,  who  had  been  unfriendly  to  his  wife,  should  ever 
have  a  particle  of  his  property.  Two  of  his  sons-in-law  had 
been.  He  executed  a  deed  after  he  was  arrested,  giving  abso 
lutely  all  he  possessed  to  his  other  two  sons-in-law.  This  deed, 
however,  should  he  be  tried  for  witchcraft,  might  be  held  to  be 
invalid.  He  resolved  that  he  would  not  be  tried.  When  he  was 
brought  before  the  court,  and  asked  whether  he  were  guilty  or 
not  guilty,  he  did  not  open  his  mouth.  They  could  not  try  a 
man  who  would  not  plead." 

"  And  did  he  escape  ?  "  interrupted  Tom. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  An  old  English  law  was 
trumped  up,  in  which  the  man  who  refused  to  plead  was  to 
suffer  a  certain  punishment  until  he  did.  Corey  was  taken  to 
prison,  and  laid  on  his  back :  a  weight  of  iron  was  placed  on. 
him,  and  he  was  almost  without  food  or  drink.  The  weights 
were  steadily  increased,  but  the  old  man  would  not  speak.  He 
was  crushed  to  death." 

"  How  perfectly  awful !  "  said  the  girls. 

"  It  was  a  strange  part  of  this  business,  that  those  who  con 
fessed  being  witches  escaped  death.  It  was  those  who  persisted 
in  denying  their  connection  with  Satan  who  were  hanged,"  said 
Mrs.  Longwood. 


640  A   HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  IN  JAIL. 

"  And  how  did  it  all  end  ?  "  asked  Ned. 

"  People  began  to  come  to  their  senses.  There  were  already 
a  hundred  and  fifty  in  jail  ;  and  the  afflicted  children  seemed  to 
be  as  much  afflicted  as  ever,  and  to  be  quite  as  ready  to  cry 
out  upon  others  who  were  as  yet  unsuspected.  The  court  was 
adjourned  ;  and  in  two  or  three  months,  when  time  had  brought 
clearer  views,  all  were  set  at  liberty." 

"  What  became  of  the  afflicted  children  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Mrs.  Longwood.  "  But  public  indig 
nation  was  very  sharp  against  those  who  had  taken  a  leading 
part  in  the  prosecutions.  Mr.  Parris,  whom  it  was  openly  said 
had  used  the  children  to  denounce  some  of  his  enemies,  was 
driven  from  his  church  and  town,  and  lived  ever  after  in  obscur 
ity  and  poverty.  Others  made  public  and  humble  confession  that 
they  had  fallen  into  error.  It  was  long  before  the  wounds  the 
trouble  made  were  healed. 

"  But  here  comes  Mr.  Longwood,  and  you  can  find  out  what 
he  thinks  of  your  plan  for  going  home." 


CHAPTER   XL 


MR.  LONGWOOD'S  entrance 
was  greeted  by  such  a  sudden 
chorus  of  exclamations,  that 
he  looked  completely  as 
tounded.  "  What  in  the 
world  is  it  ?  "  he  said.  "  Has 
old  Mrs.  Daniels  done  any 
thing  ?  or  the  bulldog  ?  " 

"  Let's  leave  it  to  Mrs. 
Longwood  to  explain  to  him,'" 
said  Jack,  with  a  sudden 
accession  of  wisdom. 

So  there  was  a  complete 
silence  until  the  plan  was. 
unfolded,  when  Mr.  Long- 
wood  promptly  agreed  to  it. 
"  If  it  should  rain,  though, 
of  course  we  should  have  to  give  it  up,"  he  added. 

"  We  might  wait  until  the  next  fair  day,"  suggested  Ned. 
The  next  morning   bright   and   early  the  boys  were  crowding, 

641 


642  THREE   TOWS  SOUTHWARD  BOUND. 

half-dressed,  about  the  window  of  their  room  that  looked  up 
toward  Newburgh  Bay.  They  saw  three  tows  southward  bound. 
From  the  height  and  distance  at  which  they  were,  the  tows 


PREPARING    FOR    BREAKFAST. 


looked  almost  like  huge  rafts.  But  a  moment's  glance  showed 
the  straining  tug  in  advance,  and,  close  upon  its  heels,  the  clumsy 
rabble  of  canal-boats  wabbling  along,  lashed  four  or  five  abreast, 
and  five  or  six  rows  deep. 


IV E  MUST  HURRY  UP.  643 


"  We  must  hurry  up,"  said  Jack,  as,  after  scrambling1  into  his 
clothes,  he  rushed  down  stairs,  and  into  the  kitchen,  to  see  if 
breakfast  were  not  ready.  "We  must  hurry  up,  or  they  will  all 
have  gone  by." 

The  trim  woman  had  her  hands  in  a  bowl  of  dough.  Evi 
dently  they  were  to  have  hot  corn-bread  for  breakfast,  for  the 
old  grandmother  was  bringing  a  pan  in  which  to  bake  it. 

"  Never  fear,"  said  Daniels,  in  answer  to  Jack's  outburst. 
"  At  this  season  of  the  year  they  come  down  close  upon  one 
another's  heels.  You  see,  they  hurry  through  the  canals  now 
that  it's  just  on  the  edge  of  winter,  for  fear  that  a  sudden  cold 
snap  may  come,  and  freeze  them  in." 

Notwithstanding  this  assurance,  Jack  was  very  uneasy  in  his 
mind  for  some  time.  It  was  not  until  Tom,  looking  at  the 
clock,  said,  "  Well,  we  couldn't  catch  the  early  train  now  if  we 
tried  :  so,  no  matter  how  we  go  to  town,  we  cannot  get  to 
school  to-day,"  that  he  seemed  to  enjoy  his  breakfast.  Then  he 
stretched  forth  his  plate  to  be  helped  again,  and  attacked  the 
good  things  in  earnest. 

By  half-past  eight,  breakfast  was  over ;  their  trunks  were 
packed,  ready  to  go  on  the  same  train  with  the  girls  in  the 
afternoon ;  and  the  boys  themselves,  with  Mr.  Longwood,  well 
wrapped  up,  were  climbing  into  the  big  wagon. 

"  If  we  should  upset,"  said  Ned,  "  I  should  be  perfectly  help 
less  ;  for  I  am  so  swathed  in  my  winter  coat,  with  this  rug  over 
my  knees,  that  I  could  not  move." 

"  You  will  be  glad  of  all  your  wraps,  never  fear,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  It  will  be  cold  enough  on  the  water,  and  there 


644  THE    WIND    WAS  COLD  ENOUGH. 

will   be    no   comfortable    cabin   where    one    can    sit    and   look   out 
through  the  window.     It  is  to  be  a  deck-passage." 

"  I  hope  we  brought  provisions  enough,"  said  Tom.  "  I  think 
that  by  dinner-time  I  shall  be  able  to  do  my  share  at  the. 
trencher." 

Before  long  they  found  themselves  at  the  pier,  where  they 
had  disembarked  from  the  boat  on  the  night  of  their  coming. 
There  was  a  grayish  hue  spreading  over  the  sky,  and  the  wind 
as  it  came  down  the  river  was  cold  enough.  It  felt,  as  Daniels 
had  said,  as  if  they  were  on  the  edge  of  winter.  There  seemed 
to  be  very  little  going  on  about  the  dock.  One  or  two  people 
came  to  their  doors  to  see  our  party  leave  the  wagon  ;  but  the 
morning  boat  had  gone  some  time  before,  and  the  place  had 
settled  down  to  wait  until  its  return  in  the  evening  should  bring 
again  a  ripple  of  excitement. 

Directed  by  Daniels,  they  hurried  along  the  shore  to  a  house 
a  little  way  distant,  whose  owner  kept  boats  to  let.  A  fine  tow 
was  only  a  short  distance  away,  and  no  time  was  to  be  lost. 

"  Father  is  out  in  one  of  the  sailboats  there/'  said  a  tidy 
girl  who  answered  their  knock.  "  He  is  going  to  bring  her  in, 
and  haul  her  out  for  the  winter.  I'll  call  him,"  and  she  ran 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  quickly  brought  him  ashore. 

Mr.  Longwood  stated  their  wishes.  Could  he  put  them 
aboard  the  little  fleet  of  canal-boats  close  at  hand  there  ? 

He  regarded  them  apparently  as  out  of  their  heads.  Of 
course  he  could  put  them  aboard  ;  but,  massy  sakes !  they 
wouldn't  get  to  York,  he  didn't  know  when.  He  had  much  bet 
ter  take  them  across  the  river  to  the  railway  :  there  was  "  some 


THE   BOATMAN'S   DAUGHTER. 


CATCH  HOLD    THERE.  647 


chance  then  of  seem'  their  folks  to  home  before  they'd  all  grown 
old  and  died." 

But,  as  Mr.  Longwood  persisted,  he  hauled  a  big  rowboat 
up  to  his  landing  ;  and,  all  being  stowed  away  in  her,  he  took 
his  oars,  and  pulled  vigorously  out  into  the  current,  casting  a 
glance  now  and  then  over  his  shoulder,  to  see  that  he  was 
laying  his  course  rightly. 

Presently  the  great  lumbering  tubs  of  boats  were  alongside. 
On  one  of  them  stood  a  man  all  hair  and  beard.  The  boatman, 
with  a  few  strokes,  brought  their  craft  near  and,  throwing  his 
painter  toward  him,  said  briefly,  — 

"  Catch  hold  there." 

The  hairy  man  seized  it,  and  made  his  end  fast ;  and  then, 
looking  down  upon  them,  said,  with  equal  brevity,  — 

"  What's  up  ?  " 

"  This  here  party  wants  to  take  passage  with  ye  to  York," 
said  the  boatman. 

"  Nary  lunatic-asylum  about  here  broke  loose,  is  there  ? " 
asked  the  hairy  man. 

Mr.  Longwood  made  haste  to  say  that  they  had  not  gone 
mad,  and  that  they  were  quite  ready  to  pay  for  their  passage  ; 
and  so  they  speedily  came  to  terms,  the  hairy  man  agreeing  to 
put  them  ashore  'at  any  town  they  wished,  in  a  small  boat,  which 
he  said  could  be  borrowed  from  the  tug  that  was  hauling  them. 
So  their  boatman  helped  them  to  scramble  up  on  the  deck  of 
their  new  craft,  and,  having  handed  up  the  basket  of  provisions 
after  them,  was  cast  off,  and  soon  well  on  his  homeward  way. 
Those  of  the  readers  of  this  story  who  have  been  on  canal- 


648  A   NEW  KIND   OF  FOG    WHISTLE. 

boats,  and  know  all  about  them,  may  skip  a  page  or  two  :  the 
rest  may  stay  with  the  boys,  as  they  cast  their  eyes,  big  with 
curiosity,  about  them.  Curiosity  seemed  to  be  the  order  of  the 
day.  On  nearly  every  boat  in  the  fleet  they  saw  a  man  sitting 
on  his  cabin-roof,  staring  with  open  eyes  at  them.  From  every 
cabin-stairs  emerged  a  more  or  less  dishevelled  woman's  head,  to 
join  the  general  looking-on. 

But  the  boys  were  not  to  be  daunted  by  any  such  observa 
tion.  "  I  say,"  said  Jack  in  a  friendly  tone  to  the  hairy  man,  by 
way  of  opening  conversation,  "  I  say,  what's  forward  there  where 
it  looks  like  the  roof  of  a  cabin  ? " 

"  Mules,"  said  the  man. 

"  Really  ?  "  asked  Jack.     "  No  joking?" 

It  was  not  necessary  for  the  man  to  make  any  reply.  One 
of  the  mules  took  it  upon  himself  to  do  that.  Out  of  the  top 
of  his  small  stable  came  a  tremendous  bray,  that  died  away  in 
echo  after  echo  against  the  side  of  Storm- King  Mountain.  The 
boys  put  their  hands  over  their  ears  until  there  was  silence. 

"  He  must  be  of  no  end  of  use  in  a  fog,"  said  Ned.  "  He'd 
take  the  place  of  the  steam-whistle.  Just  give  his  tail  a  twist 
to  open  the  valve,  and  out  would  come  the  noise." 

"  Nobody  don't  twist  that  mule's  tail,  not  with  impunity,"  said 
the  hairy  man  gloomily.  "  One  man  tried  it." 

"  What  happened  to  him  ?  "  asked  the  boys. 

"  It  was  near  the  place  where  he  was  raised,"  said  the  man  ; 
"  and  we  buried  him  in  the  family  lot." 

"  How  in  the  world  do  you  get  them  in  there  ? "  asked 
Charlie,  as  they  all  walked  forward. 


GOING    TO  BED  MADE  EXCITING.  649 

"  This  strip  of  the  roof  comes  off,"  said  the  man,  lifting  one 
end  up  as  he  spoke,  so  that  they  could  look  down  on  the  mules 
in  their  stalls  below.  "  They  scramble  in  and  out  just  like  dogs. 
Those  two  berths  back  there,  just  behind  them,  are  where  the 
men  sleep." 

"  It  must  be  lively  work  for  them  to  get  to  bed  when  your 
mule  who  kicks  feels  like  a  little  exercise,"  said  Tom.  "  They 
must  have  to  dodge  the  kicks." 

"  How  long  do  you  work  the  mules  at  a  time  ? "  asked 
Charlie. 

"  Six  hours,"  said  the  man.  "  You  see,  we  have  four  men 
and  four  mules  beside  the  captain."  (Jack  gave  Will  a  nudge  at 
this  slight  slip.)  "  They  work  six  hours  at  a  time,  relieving  one 
another.  When  we  come  down  to  Troy,  we  leave  two  of  the 
mules  in  the  stables  there."  The  hairy  man  stopped  short,  and 
looked  a  little  ashamed  at  having  been  so  talkative.  Then  he 
strolled  slowly  toward  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  disappeared 
down  the  stairs  into  his  cabin. 

The  boys  watched  his  disappearance  with  considerable  sur 
prise.  "  Could  we  have  said  any  thing  to  offend  him  ? "  said 
Tom. 

"  No  :  I  fancy  it  is  only  his  way,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He'll 
;be  back  presently,  no  doubt.  Meantime  I  think  I  will  spread  out 
a  rug,  and  establish  myself  here  with  a  book.  The  stable-roof 
will  make  an  excellent  protection  from  the  wind.  The  weather 
is  rather  cold." 

So,  suiting  his  action  to  his  words,  Mr.  Longwood  sat  down 
•on  the  deck  ;  and,  except  that  every  moment  or  two  he  raised 


650  A   SERIES  OF  QUESTIONS. 

his  eyes  to  see  that  none  of  his  boys  had  fallen  over,  or  other 
wise  come  to  grief,  he  took  no  part  in  any  of  their  doings  for 
the  next  hour  or  two. 

They,  however,  were  not  idle.  The  hairy  man  had  re-appeared, 
and  they  plied  him  vigorously  with  questions. 

What  had  he  aboard  ?  they  demanded. 

"  Wheat." 

Where  did  he  get  it  ? 

"  Buffalo." 

How  long  did  it  take  to  come  from  Buffalo  ? 

"Ten  days." 

But  he  was  not  to  be  tempted  into  conversation ;  and  the 
boys'  hope  of  getting  a  story  out  of  him  was  soon  seen  to  be 
without  foundation.  After  a  little  they  managed  to  get  aboard 
the  boat  alongside.  The  captain  of  this  was  much  more  com 
municative  ;  and,  though  he  was  not  to  be  coaxed  into  telling 
a  story,  he  told  them  how  he  had  been  a  canal-man  for  twenty 
years.  He  took  them,  too,  down  into  his  tiny  cabin  where  his 
wife  and  two  children  were,  and  showed  them  the  kitchen  just 
big  enough  to  take  in  a  stove,  and  how  it  could  be  shut  up 
tight  by  means  of  sliding-doors.  The  cabin  was  tiny  enough, 
but  every  thing  was  as  clean  and  neat  as  could  be. 

All  the  hour  or  two  that  the  boys  spent  in  idly  running  about 
and  talking,  had  not  been  spent  in  idleness  by  the  tug  that 
was  dragging  them.  One  after  another  the  hills  of  the  High 
lands  had  been  slowly  passed.  West  Point,  with  the  gray  build 
ings  of  its  military  academy,  was  far  behind.  And  now  a  sudden 
hunger  seized  every  one.  They  hurried  back  pell-mell  to  where 


A   BAND   OF  STARVING    WOLVES.  651 

Mr.  Longwood  was  still  sitting  deep  in  his  book,  and  surrounded 
him  as  a  band  of  starving  wolves  do  a  defenceless  sheep  whom 
they  have  come  upon  in  some  unprotected  place. 

He  understood  from  their  faces  what  they  would  have  sug 
gested,  without  their  speaking  a  word. 

"  Bring  the  basket,  Tom,"  he  said. 

Tom  made  haste  to  bring  it,  and  spread  the  contents  on  some 
napkins  which  he  laid  upon  the  deck. 

"  Jiminy !  "  said  Jack,  as  the  last  article  came  out,  "  they 
haven't  put  in  a  thing  to  drink.  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Possibly  our  captain's  wife  could  make  us  some  coffee,"  said 
Mr.  Longwood.  "  Go  and  see,  Tom.  At  all  events,  she  can  no- 
doubt  give  us  some  water." 

Tom  came  back  shortly,  and  announced  that  the  coffee  was 
under  way  ;  and  before  long  the  hairy  man  brought  it  in  a  big" 
pitcher  with  three  cups,  all  that  he  could  muster. 

The  coffee  smelled  deliciously,  and  the  lunch  looked  excel 
lently.  In  half  an  hour  there  was  not  so  much  as  a  drop  or  a 
crumb  left.  Then  the  boys  stretched  themselves  out  on  the  rugsr 
and  begged  Mr.  Longwood  to  tell  them  a  story. 

"  It  so  happens,"  said  that  gentleman,  "  that  we  are  passing 
historic  scenes  at  this  moment.  Here  on  the  west  side  of  the 
liver  were  the  old  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  where  there 
was  fighting  during  the  Revolution." 

"  Do  tell  us  about  it,"  they  all  exclaimed. 

"  You  have  all  heard  of  how,  during  the  Revolution,  Burgoyne 
tried  to  march  down  from  Canada,  by  way  of  the  lakes,  to  Albany^ 
while  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  to  move  up  the  Hudson,  and  meet 


652  4    TRIO  OF  CLINTONS. 


him  there.  It  was  a  well-conceived  plan  ;  and  it  lacked  only  one 
thing,  and  that  was  success.  Burgoyne  was  captured  at  Saratoga. 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  never  reached  Albany.  He  made  the  attempt, 
however  ;  and,  if  he  had  made  it  sooner,  possibly  the  whole  face 
of  matters  might  have  been  changed. 

"  He  waited  for  some  Hessian  re-enforcements  which  were  on 
their  way  to  him  from  over  sea.  They,  however,  had  sailed 
in  Dutch  vessels,  which  were  not  much  better  sailers  than  the 
noble  craft  on  which  we  now  are,  and  so  did  not  arrive  until 
October,  a  good  month  or  more  later  than  they  were  expected. 

"  As  soon  as  they  did  come,  he  set  out  up  the  river  with 
some  five  thousand  men. 

"  The  Americans  had  stretched  an  enormous  iron  chain  from 
the  tip  of  Anthony's  Nose  across  to  the  opposite  shore,  and 
there  had  built  two  forts,  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  to  dispute 
the  passage  of  the  river  with  the  British  ships.  These  obstacles 
had  to  be  overcome,  of  course,  before  the  English  could  make 
their  little  visit  to  Albany.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  each  of  the 
American  forts  was  commanded  by  a  Clinton,  and  that  the  com 
mander  of  the  British  was  also  a  Clinton." 

"  Were  they  any  relation  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  boys. 

"  Not  that  I  ever  heard  of,"  said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  Well,  the  British,  as  I  said,  set  out  from  New  York,  and 
proceeded  up  the  river.  In  the  two  forts  together  there  were 
but  six  hundred  men  ;  and  it  was  important  to  conceal  his  inten 
tion  of  attacking  them,  lest  they  should  be  thoroughly  garrisoned. 
So  Sir  Henry  landed  a  couple  of  thousand  men  at  Tarrytown, 
and  then  marched  them  northward  toward  Peekskill.  By  this 


GEN.  PUTNAM  IS  DECEIVED. 


653 


means  he  deceived  Gen.  Putnam,  who  was  in  command,  and 
who  thought  his  intention  was  to  destroy  the  supplies  that  were 
stored  there.  So  that  all  the  militia  of  the  districts  about  has 
tened  to  Peekskill,  and  the  forts  were  not  strengthened. 


THE    FIGHT   WITH    THE    FIELD-PIECE. 


."  Then,  taking  advantage  of  a  fog,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  passed 
tw.D  thousand  men  across  the  river,  and  landed  them  on  the 
west  shore,  with  instructions  to  make  their  way  north  and  attack 
the  forts." 

"  It  must  have  been  tough  work  forcing  their  way  over  those 
hills,  and  through  the  forests,"  said  Will.  "  How  far  was  it  ?  " 

"  About   twelve    miles,   I    should    fancy,"    said    Mr.    Longwood 


65 4  THE  FIELD-PIECE  IS  SPIKED. 

"  And  there  was  no  road  •  at  all.  A  Tory  piloted  them  by  a 
path  he  knew  over  the  Dunderberg,  but  they  had  to  go  in 
single  file.  When  they  had  passed  it,  they  divided  into  two 
parties,  and  each  attacked  a  fort. 

"  Gov.  Clinton,  the  American  in  command,  had  suspected  all 
along  that  the  enemy  were  intending  to  attack  the  forts,  and 
had  his  scouts  posted  on  the  Dunderberg.  A  little  after  noon 
they  descried  the  advancing  force,  fired  upon  them,  and  retreated. 
A  field-piece  was  at  once  sent  out,  but  the  enemy  came  on  so 
fast  that  the  gun  had  to  be  spiked  and  left.  Then  the  Amer 
icans  fell  back  on  another  gun,  with  which  they  did  good  work 
on  the  advancing  Hessians  ;  but  unfortunately  it  burst.  By 
four  o'clock  the  enemy  had  reached  both  forts,  and  an  assault 
was  made  without  loss  of  time." 

"  Of  course  they  won,"  said  Jack.  "  They  were  three  to  our 
one,  and  regulars  against  militia.  It  was  not  a  fair  show  at  all." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  they  had  to  fight  hard 
for  it.  But,  as  you  say,  the  Americans  were  at  a  great  dis 
advantage.  To  add  to  it,  a  British  frigate  or  two  had  come  up 
the  river,  and  opened  fire  upon  them  from  the  water-side. 

"  They  continued  to  resist  obstinately  until  dusk,  when  the 
British  conquered.  The  clouds  had  come  up  thickly,  and  dark 
ness  came  on  apace  ;  and  the  Americans,  having  no  mind  to  see 
the  inside  of  a  British  prison  in  New  York,  lost  no  time  in 
escaping  to  the  forests  that  surrounded  them  on  every  side. 
There  was  some  desultory  fighting,  but  it  soon  ceased;  and  the 
hardy  militia  found  no  difficulty  in  making  their  way  to  safety. 
Both  American  generals  escaped,  one  badly  wounded  ;  and  over 


TWO  HUNDRED  MEN  REPORT  FOR  DUTY. 


657 


two   hundred    of  their  men    reported    for  duty  at   their  headquar 
ters,  some   twelve    miles    or   more    distant,    the    next    day.     There 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  THE   HESSIANS. 


, 

were  but  six  hundred,  you  must    remember,   in    the    two  forts  to 
gether  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight." 


658 


THE  BOOM  IS  DESTROYED. 


"  And   what    became    of    the    boom    from   Anthony's    Nose  ? " 
asked  Ned. 


THE   ASSAULT   ON   THE   FORT. 


The  British  destroyed  it  as  soon  as  they  secured  the   forts," 


' 
THE  FIRE  REACHES  THE  MAGAZINES.  659 

said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  There  were  one  or  two  American  armed 
vessels  above  the  boom ;  and  these,  when  they  saw  how  the 
battle  had  gone,  raised  their  sails,  and  tried  to  escape  up  the 
river.  The  wind  was  against  them  though,  and  they  could  make 
no  headway :  so  their  crews  set  them  afire,  and  abandoned 
them." 

"  What  a  magnificent  sight  it  must  have  been  !  "  said  Charlie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Will.  "  It  was  at  night,  you  know,  and  of  course 
the  guns  would  go  off  one  after  another  as  the  fire  reached 
them ;  and  at  last  when  it  reached  the  magazine  there  would 
be  one  grand  crash,  and  then  silence." 

"  There  was  a  spy  captured  at  the  American  general's  head 
quarters,  a  day  or  two  after  the  battle,  under  very  curious  cir 
cumstances,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He  was  discovered  by  the 
pickets,  and,  having  asked  what  general  was  stationed  near,  was 
told,  Clinton.  Thereon  he  asked  to  see  him  at  once.  He  was 
led  into  his  presence.  He  was  noticed  to  change  color,  and 
heard  to  exclaim,  in  a  low  tone,  '  I  am  lost ! '  At  the  same 
moment  he  put  something  into  his  mouth,  and  swallowed  it. 
They  gave  him  an  emetic,  and  soon  brought  to  light  a  silver 
bullet.  He  managed  to  secure  it,  and  again  swallowed  it.  They 
gave  him  an  emetic  a  second  time.  He  refused  to  take  it  at 
first ;  but,  on  being  told  that  he  should  be  hanged  and  cut 
open  if  he  did  not,  he  yielded,  and  the  bullet  was  once  more 
produced.  It  was  found  to  unscrew,  and  to  contain  a  note  from 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  Burgoyne,  telling  of  his  success." 

"  But  why  in  the  world  did  the  man  act  so  like  a  fool  ?  "  said 
Tom.  "  He  must  have  been  crazy." 


660  THE  END   OF  A    SPY. 


"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  In  the  first  place,  he  thought 
the  Americans  totally  cut  up  by  the  late  battle,  and  he  had  no 
idea  that  they  could  have  re-organized  in  even  the  smallest  way. 
And  he  had  never  heard  of  an  American  Gen.  Clinton.  How 
ever,  in  spite  of  all  this,  he  hardly  seems  to  have  been  the 
man  to  make  his  way  across  a  hundred  miles  or  two  of  an 
enemy's  country." 

"  I  suppose  the  discovery  of  the  note  was  his  death- warrant,'r 
said  Will. 

"  Yes  :  he  was  tried  as  a  spy,  and  hanged  to  an  apple-tree,'" 
said  Mr.  Longwood. 

"  The  fighting  at  these  two  forts  about  which  you  have  told 
us  was  not  all  that  came  off  in  tb~  Highlands,  was  it?"  asked 
Will. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  There  was  the  storming  of 
Stony  Point  by  Wayne,  —  Mad  Anthony  Wayne  as  he  was  called 
on  account  of  his  reckless  courage.  That  took  place  a  couple  of 
years  later.  We  shall  be  passing  the  point  presently." 

"  That  was  a  night  assault,  wasn't  it  ?  "  asked  Will. 

"  Yes.  The  way  was  this.  The  British  had  captured  the 
works  which  the  Americans  had  begun  at  Stony  Point,  and  had 
greatly  enlarged  and  strengthened  them.  There  were  only  forty 
men  in  the  fort  at  the  time,  so  that  its  capture  was  an  easy 
affair.  Then,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  there  was  another 
fort,  which  the  British  secured  also.  These  two  commanded  the 
river  pretty  effectually. 

"  When  we  pass  the  point,  you  can  notice  what  a  strong 
position  it  is  by  nature.  Three  sides  are  surrounded  by  water  ; 


POMPEY  MARCHES  ON  BEFORE.  663 

and,  in  old  times,  the  fourth  was  a  morass,  where  the  tide  came 
in  to  a  depth  of  two  or  three  feet.  Of  ccTurse,  the  occupation 
of  these  positions  menaced  the  American  posts  at  West  Point, 
and  made  it  necessary  to  keep  there  a  large  force  at  all  times. 

"So  it  was  resolved  that  Stony  Point  should  be  assaulted, 
and  Anthony  Wayne  was  chosen  to  do  the  work.  On  a  hot 
July  afternoon  the  Americans  made  their  way  in  single  file 
through  the  wild  defiles  of  the  hills,  and  at  sunset  rendezvoused 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort.  Meantime  the  darkness  came 
on,  and  the  garrison  within  t^ie  walls  betook  themselves  to  slum 
ber,  little  dreaming  of  the  foe  that  lay  so  quietly  and  so  close 
at  hand. 

"  The  patriot  force  did  not  move  until  near  midnight,  and 
then  not  a  sound  betokened  their  forward  march.  Every  dog  in 
the  neighborhood  had  been  killed  the  day  before,  lest  some  watch 
ful  bark  might  give  the  alarm.  At  their  head  marched  Pompey, 
an  old  negro,  their  guide  ;  and  by  his  side  two  stalwart  men, 
disguised  as  farmers.  Their  business  was  to  seize  the  sentinel, 
when  Pompey  engaged  his  attention  in  talk." 

"  Did  they  expect  that  the  sentinels  would  let  him  walk  up 
to  them  ? "  asked  Tom.  "  They  surely  would  not  do  any  thing 
so  foolish  !  " 

"  Pompey  was  a  privileged  character,"  said  Mr.  Longwood.  "  He 
had  brought  berries  to  the  fort  to  sell  all  through  the  spring, 
and  the  officers  were  only  too  glad  to  buy  them.  He  belonged 
to  a  strong  patriot,  who,  by  this  means,  knew  about  every 
thing  that  went  on  within  the  walls,  for  the  negro  kept  his  eyes 
well  open  while  selling  berries.  Presently  Pompey  announced  to 


664 


THE   OFFICERS  ENJOY  BERRIES. 


the  officers  that  he  could  not  come  any  more.  He  had  to  hoe 
corn  in  the  day-time,  he  said.  They  were  in  no  mind  to  lose 
their  fresh  berries,  and  so  gave  him  the  countersign,  that  he 


IN  THE  FORT. 


might   pass  the  guards  at  night.     He  had  been  in  and  out  often 
now,  so  that  the  sentry  would  not  suspect  him. 


A   SENTINEL   ON  THE  HIGH  GROUND. 


6G5 


There  was  a  sentinel    stationed    on    the    high   ground  before 


THE   PICKET  GUARD. 


they   came   to  the   rnorass  which   they  had   to   pass,  and  another 


665  THE  FORT'S  OUR  OWN. 

at  the  head  of  a  narrow  causeway,  or  road,  that  crossed  it.  Both 
these  men  were  made  prisoners  without  an  alarm  being  given. 
Then  the  Americans  divided  into  two  bodies,  so  as  to  make  their 
attack  at  two  different  points.  One  followed  the  causeway  ;  the 
others  plunged  into  the  morass,  and  waded  on  through  water 
two  feet  deep.  Every  man  had  in  his  hat  a  piece  of  white 
paper,  to  distinguish  him  from  the  enemy  in  the  darkness  ;  and 
they  had  taken  as  their  watchword  the  British  countersign  for 
the  night,  '  The  fort's  our  own.' 

"  Silently  and  steadily  they  marched.  The  pickets  did  not 
discover  them  in  the  darkness,  until  they  were  within  pistol-shot ; 
but  then  the  drum  beat  to  arms,  and  the  cannon  opened  upon 
them.  They  fired  not  a  shot  in  return,  but  pressed  forward  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Wayne  led  one  column.  As  he  was 
almost  entering  the  fort,  a  bullet  struck  him  on  the  head,  and 
felled  him.  Stunned,  and  believing  for  the  moment  that  he  was 

ft 

mortally  wounded,  he  cried  to  his  aides,  '  March  on  !  Carry  me 
in,  for  I  will  die  at  the  head  of  the  column.'  He  did  not  die, 
however,  but  lived  to  receive  the  laurels  that  his  gallant  action 
brought  him.  The  whole  country  rang  with  his  praises. 

"  The  capture  of  the  fort  was  important  in  two  ways.  It 
enabled  the  Americans  to  destroy  the  works  which  the  British 
had  so  carefully  built,  and  it  had  a  great  and  stimulating  effect 
on  the  rest  of  the  army.  Congress  struck  off  medals  which  were 
presented  to  the  leaders." 

"  You  say,"  said  Charlie,  "  that  the  Americans  destroyed  the 
fort.  They  didn't  hold  it,  then  ? " 

"  No,"    said    Mr.    Longwood.      "  They  would   not   have   been 


THE   ASSAULT. 


STRUCK  BELOW   THE    WATER-MARK.  669 

able,  in  all  probability,  against  the  force  the  British  would  bring 
against  them.  They  were,  you  must  remember,  at  some  distance 
from  the  main  force,  and  in  a  wild  country.  They  therefore 
destroyed  all  the  works  and  the  supplies.  They  attempted  to 
move  the  heavy  artillery,  which  they  put  upon  a  hulk.  But,  the 
moment  she  set  .  out  for  West  Point,  the  fort  on  the  opposite 
shore  opened  fire  on  her,  and  one  or  two  of  the  British  men- 
of-war  joined  in  ;  and,  after  a  little,  a  shot  struck  her  below 
water-mark,  and  she  filled,  and  went  down." 

"  Well,  I  for  one  am  glad  "  said  Charlie,  "  that  I  live  in  the 
piping  times  of  peace." 

"  You  may  well  be  thankful  that,  at  all  events,  you  did  not 
live  in  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  and  its  tributaries,"  said  Mr. 
Longwood.  "  Between  the  inroads  of  the  Indians,  led  by  their 
great  chief  Brant,  and  the  strong  Tory  element  that  existed, 
the  patriot  settler,  on  his  half-cleared  farm,  lived  always  with 
rifle  in  reach  of  his  hand. 

"  I  put  a  little  book  in  my  pocket  before  starting,  thinking 
that  this  subject  might  come  up,"  he  went  on,  "  Let  me  read 
you  a  settler's  reminiscences.  Possibly  your  satisfaction,  at  living 
at  the  time  you  do,  may  increase.  The  writer  says,  — 

"  '  We  were  constantly  exposed  to  the  harassing  incursions 
of  the  Tories  and  Indians.  Almost  the  whole  country  was 
alarmed  by  them ;  and,  with  the  subtlety  peculiar  to  the  savage 
intellect,  they  seemed  to  escape  every  attempt  at  capture.  Often 
we  have  seen  them  running  across  the  fields  upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  now  stooping  behind  fences  which  afforded 
them  a  partial  cover,  and  now  boldly  running  across  the  open 


670  KEEPING    WATCH  ALL  NIGHT. 

ground,  where  the  fences  were  down,  to  some  other  enclosed 
field,  along  which  they  skulked  as  before.  During  these  alarms, 
our  neighbors  used  to  come  and  live  with  us  for  weeks  together 
until  the  danger  was  over,  and  then  they  would  return  home. 
The  principal  men  of  the  country  had  guards  stationed  at  their 
dwellings.  Some  of  the  militia  colonels  who  had  become  obnox 
ious  to  the  enemy  were  protected  by  guards  of  five  and  six 
men  about  each  house.  Minor  precautions  were  also  taken,  and 
the  relation  of  some  of  them  will  show  my  readers  how  weari 
some  was  the  life  we  led.  My  father  was  in  the  habit  of  stack 
ing  his  corn  in  the  field,  and  indeed  all  his  grain,  placing  it  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  fences  ;  for  in  case  of  surprise,  and  if 
his  dwelling  should  be  burned,  he  knew  what  was  scattered 
through  the  fields  would  in  a  measure  be  safe.  It  was  a  com 
mon  thing  in  those  days  for  the  farmers  with  us  to  transport 
their  grain  to  Albany  during  the  winter,  and  keep  it  stored  there 
for  protection.  In  the  summer  it  was  carried  back  load  by  load, 
as  it  was  wanted  for  use. 

"  '  In  the  fall,  alarms  still  continued  ;  «*nd  every  precaution,  as 
was  usual,  was  taken  by  us.  We  used  to  stack  our  straw  in  the 
field  near  the  house,  and  so  erect  the  pile  as  to  leave  at  the  top 
a  conical  hole,  in  which  two  persons  kept  watch  during  the 
alarms,  this  way,  every  night.  A  ladder  was  placed  for  us  to 
mount  with  our  guns ;  and,  when  we  were  ensconced,  it  was 
withdrawn.  One  slept  while  the  other  watched  ;  and,  though 
our  elevation  was  not  more  than  ten  feet,  it  gave  us  a  great 
advantage  in  detecting  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  Perched  in 
these  eyries,  we  passed  night  after  night,  while  our  sleepless 


I  ESPY  AN  ENEMY.  671 


strained  their  vision  to  catch  the  least  appearance  of  the 
foe.  Indeed,  we  commanded  a  full  view  of  the  river,  and  to  the 
north  and  west  for  a  great  distance.  Nor  was  this  the  only 
method  which  caution  induced  us  to  take.  The  horses  were 
frequently  harnessed  to  our  sleds  at  night,  which  made,  of 
course,  less  noise  than  the  wagons,  to  transport  our  baggage 
down  to  a  ravine,  for  the  sake  of  preserving  it  from  an  expected 
incursion. 

"  '  On  one  such  occasion,  when  our  neighbors  were  living 
with  us,  as  I  have  said,  we  had  thirteen  guns  loaded  and  in 
order ;  and,  being  divided  into  watches,  we  stood  as  sentries 
round  the  house.  It  soon  came  my  turn  to  go  out  with  one  of 
the  blacks  by  the  name  of  Ned,  whom,  on  most  occasions,  a 
pair  of  fleet  heels  served  a  friendly  part. 

"  '  Ned,  however,  talked  largely ;  and  I  felt  no  backwardness 
in  stating  what  havoc  we  would  make  among  the  Tories  with 
our  thirteen  guns.  While  every  one  was  fast  asleep,  about  mid 
night,  during  one  of  our  walks  towards  a  fence  which  ran  down 
to  the  river,  as  the  moon  was  just  rising  behind  us,  and  throw 
ing  a  faint  light  on  the  scene  beyond,  I  perceived  with  horror 
the  approach  of  objects  whose  movements  appeared  to  be  gov 
erned  by  the  most  perfect  military  rules.  Every  now  and  then 
they  would  halt,  and,  after  a  short  rest,  would  move  on  with  the 
same  precision.  They  were  crossing  a  wheat-field  which  lay  to 
the  south  of  the  fence  I  have  mentioned,  anxious  to  get  under 
its  cover  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  their  approach  to  the 
house.  The  rustling  of  the  stubble  seemed  to  be  as  carefully 
avoided  as  possible.  I  watched  them  with  the  deepest  interest 


672  I  TAKE   TO  MY  HEELS. 

until  they  made  a  deliberate  and  regular  halt  when  they  came 
to  the  fence.  I  was  then  convinced  we  were  in  imminent  dan 
ger,  and,  turning  round  to  give  some  order  to  my  companion, 
found  he  was  gone.  I  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  follow  his 
example,  and,  hastening  to  the  house,  arrived  there  about  the 
same  time  with  Ned.  We  woke  up  the  sleepers  with  the  star 
tling  information  that  a  large  number  of  disciplined  men  were 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  house,  and  approaching  it  with 
caution  and  perfect  regularity. 

"  '  In  an  instant  all  the  men  were  armed  and  ready.  My 
father  volunteered  to  run  down  a  few  rods,  and  reconnoitre.  He 
did  so,  and  came  back  with  the  news  that  they  were  coming. 
A  brief  consultation  was  held  as  to  the  best  manner  of  receiving 
them ;  as  flight  was  impracticable  under  the  circumstances,  with 
out  abandoning  both  wives  and  children.  One  was  for  firing  as 
they  mounted  a  fence  that  went  across  at  right  angles  to  the 
house,  parallel  to  the  river.  Another  was  for  opening  upon  them 
as  they  ascended  the  rising  ground  that  intervened  between  the 
house  and  bank  of  the  river.  The  last  project  was  approved, 
and  we  were  cautioned  to  fire  low,  and  to  make  every  shot  tell. 
The  party  stationed  themselves  accordingly,  and  I  then  volun 
teered  to  go  down  and  take  another  look.  They  still  appeared  in 
motion,  but,  apparently  without  caution,  approached  the  bank  and 
fence  running  parallel  to  it.  There  they  halted  for  some  time, 
and  I  hastened  back  with  the  intelligence.  Their  apparent  irreso 
lution  inspired  us  with  fresh  vigor,  and  we  began  to  grow  more 
resolute  as  our  enemy  seemed  to  hesitate.  A  half  hour  passed 
away,  when  they  again  moved  forward  briskly  to  the  north  ; 


FROM  THE  SUBLIME    TO    THE  RIDICULOUS.  673 

and  this  change  of  plan  seemed  to  be  the  result  of  consultation, 
and  led  us  to  expect  their  attack  through  the  hollow,  which  it 
seemed  their  object  to  gain,  and  by  which  the  house  was  more 
easily  assailable.  We  now  felt  confident  that  some  of  the  party 
must  be  familiar  with  the  ground,  for  no  stranger  would  have 
thought  of  approaching  through  the  ravine.  We  shifted  our 
ground  a  little  upon  seeing  this,  and  threw  ourselves  farther  to 
the  right,  where  we  still  maintained  the  advantage  of  our  ele 
vated  position.  Learning  all  this  manoeuvring,  the  wives  of  our 
friends,  and  my  mother,  came  out,  almost  crazy  with  alarm,  yet 
not  daring  to  make  any  noise  for  fear  of  the  consequences. 
My  father  peremptorily  ordered  them  back  without  explanation 
Our  eyes  were  still  intent  on  our  foes,  when  they  suddenl 
stopped  near  a  spring  which  gushed  out  of  the  hill  below  u», 
and  there  remained,  until  the  moon,  rising  higher  and  higher, 
threw  its  clear  detecting  light  over  the  scene,  and  discovered  to 
us  that  our  enemies  were  six  of  our  horses  that  had  broken 
loose  from  their  pasture.  What  a  change  from  the  sublime  to 
the  ridiculous  !  In  an  instant  we  discovered  the  curious  causes 
which  led  to  our  mistake.  Six  horses  belonging  to  us  and  our 
neighbors  had  been  tied  together  abreast,  and  hoppled,  to  pre 
vent  their  straying.  It  turned  out  that  they  had  been  without 
water  for  two  days  previously,  and,  incited  by  thirst,  had  broken 
into  the  wheat-field,  and  followed  the  fence  until  they  came  to 
the  spring  of  water.' ' 

"  Of  course  it  was  awfully  hard  for  the  men  of  those  days," 
interrupted  Will.  "  It  could  have  been  no  fun  to  fight  on,  half- 
fed  and  half-clothed,  for  year  after  year,  in  the  camp,  and  away 


A    VISIT  FROM   THE  HESSIANS. 


from  home.     But  just  think  what  the  women  must  have  suffered! 
They   could    not   relieve    their   feelings   by  taking   a   musket,  and 


UNWELCOME   VISITORS. 


marching  against  the  foe  ;  but  must  stay  at  home,  and  live  in 
terror  of  visits  from  the  dreaded  Hessians,  or  some  prowling 
band  of  rascally  Tories,  who  in  a  single  morning  would  eat  and 


ONE  SUNDA  Y  NIGHT.  675 


drink  up  every  thing  that  was  to  have  kept  them  through  the 
winter.  It  is  a  pity  Carrie  is  not  here  to  stand  up  for  them. 
But  go  on,  please,  Mr.  Longwood." 

"  '  One  Sunday  night,  after  all  the  family  had  retired  to  their 
bed,  it  being  a  still,  clear  night  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  we 
heard  our  dogs  barking  violently  in  the  front  of  the  house,  while 
a  confused  sound  of  voices  accompanied  the  deep-mouthed  bay 
ing.  In  an  instant  my  father  was  out  of  bed,  and  ready  for 
action,  when  my  prudent  mother  checked  his  impetuosity  by 
saying  he  was  not  a  match  for  the  persons  without ;  that,  if  he 
went  out,  he  would  be  taken  ;  and  that  perhaps,  if  all  was  kept 
still  within  the  house,  the  enemy  would  not  think  it  necessary 
to  commit  any  violence  for  the  sake  of  securing  their  own 
safety,  and  go  off.  Gradually  the  noise  of  the  dogs  became 
fainter  and  more  distant ;  and,  before  many  minutes  passed  away, 
it  was  as  still  and  tranquil  as  ever.  When  all  was  quiet,  my 
father,  with  his  gun  in  his  hand,  stole  cautiously  out  of  the 
house,  and  followed  in  the  direction  of  the  noise  when  last 
heard.  It  led  him  to  the  river  ;  and  he  had  scarce  reached  the 
bank,  when  he  distinctly  heard  the  noise  of  a  canoe-paddle  as 
it  touched  the  sides  of  the  sonorous  machine.  Every  one  who 
has  noticed  the  sound  of  the  oars  of  a  boat,  or  the  paddles  of 
a  canoe,  will  readily  recollect  the  hollow  tone  which  they  make, 
and  which,  on  some  occasions,  has  an  unnatural  effect  upon  the 
ear.  My  father,  by  long  use,  had  become  accustomed  not  only 
to  distinguish  these  peculiar  sounds,  but  knew  his  own  canoe  by 
the  tones  its  hollow  trough  gave  out  at  the  touch  of  the  rower. 
On  this  occasion,  his  acute  ear  told  him  that  his  canoe  was 


676  OUR   CANOE  IS  GONE. 


nearly  across  the  river.  For  a  moment  he  hesitated  whether  he 
should  not  fire  in  the  direction  of  the  noise  ;  but,  on  reflection, 
he  thought  the  risk  too  great,  and  the  advantage  too  remote,  to 
be  hazarded  by  the  discharge  of  his  rifle.  Slowly  he  turned  his 
back  homewards,  while  his  faithful  curs,  at  his  first  approach, 
having  discovered  their  master,  followed  at  his  heels  with  a 
whine  which  almost  spoke  their  uneasiness  and.  alarm.  In  the 
morning  the  canoe  was  discovered  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  and  the  circumstances  led  to  suspicion  that  all  was  not 
right.  My  father,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  had  been  in  great 
danger ;  and  his  neighbors  felt  very  unpleasantly  about  it,  and 
were  constantly  on  the  alert  to  discover  who  those  persons  could 
have  been,  and  whether  they  were  in  the  vicinity.  There  \vas  a 
Capt.  Dunham,  who  commanded  a  militia  company  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  a  great  Whig,  and  a  firm  friend  of  ours,  who  also 
exerted  himself  to  trace  the  marauder,  and  was  in  frequent  con 
sultation  with  Col.  Van  Vechten  on  the  subject.  One  evening, 
as  they  were  together  at  a  place  of  public  entertainment,  if  such 
a  thing  could  be  in  those  times,  a  boy  was  seen  emerging  from 
the  woods  in  the  neighborhood  on  horseback,  and,  presently 
approaching  the  place  where  they  were,  asked  if  he  could  pur 
chase  a  little  rum.  When  he  was  answered,  "  No,"  he  imme 
diately  mounted,  returned  a  considerable  distance,  and  then  wa? 
seen  galloping  down  the  main  road  by  the  river-side.  On 
seeing  this,  Dunham  exclaimed,  "  This  means  something,  I  am 
sure  of  it !  "  They  then  watched  for  the  boy's  return,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  he  repassed  at  full  speed.  He  then  re-entered  the 
wood,  and  was  gone  from  their  sight  in  an  instant. 


AROUND   THE   CAMP  FIRE. 


A   PERSON  BY  THE  NAME   OF  GREEN.  679 

"  '  Dunham,  when  he  reached  home,  immediately  went  to  a 
person  by  the  name  of  Green,  an  able-bodied,  bold,  and  perse 
vering  fellow.  He  was  the  safeguard  of  the  people  around  him, 
—  always  ready  for  action,  never  desponding,  and  fearless  to  an 
extent  that  was  remarkable.  He  was  always  relied  upon  in  try 
ing  emergencies  by  the  leading  men  in  the  vicinity ;  and  what 
completed  his  merit  was,  he  was  never  dilatory.  Dunham  related 
the  circumstance  to  him,  and  declared  his  belief  that  there  was  a 
party  of  Tories  in  the  neighborhood.  Three  other  persons  were 
called  upon  the  same  night  for  their  assistance ;  and,  when  the 
rest  of  their  neighbors  were  asleep,  these  hardy  men  com 
menced  their  reconnoissance.  Every  suspected  spot  was  carefully 
approached  in  hopes  to  observe  the  objects  of  their  search. 
Every  hollow  that  could  contain  a  hiding-place  was  looked  into  ; 
but  in  a  more  particular  manner  the  out-houses  and  barns  of 
those  persons  who  were  suspected  for  their  attachment  to  the 
enemy  were  examined  by  them.  It  seemed  all  in  vain.  No 
traces  of  a  concealed  foe  were  discovered,  when  towards  day 
break  it  was  proposed  to  separate,  and  make  one  final  search 
for  that  time.  Dunham  took  two  men  with  him,  and  Green  but 
one.  The  former,  as  a  last  effort,  returned  to  the  house  of  one 
Odeurman,  who,  it  was  probable,  would  be  in  communication  with 
an  enemy,  if  near  him.  As  he  approached  the  house,  he  had 
to  pass  a  meadow  adjoining,  and  observed  a  path  leading  from 
the  house  to  a  small  thicket  of  about  three  acres  extent.  Dun 
ham  immediately  suspected  it  led  to  his  enemy.  He  pursued  it, 
and  found  it  passed  round  the  thicket ;  and,  when  it  almost  met 
the  place  where  it  turned  off,  the  path  entered  the  wood.  Dun- 


680  SHALL    WE   TAKE 


ham  paused,  and,  turning  to  his  companions,  said,  "  Here  they 
are  :  will  you  follow  me  ?  "  They  instantly  agreed  to  accompany 
him  ;  and  the  party  moved  on  in  single  file,  with  light  and 
cautious  steps.  As  they  got  nearly  to  the  centre,  Dunham  in 
advance,  a  log  stopped  up  the  path,  and  seemed  to  prevent 
any  further  approach.  With  a  motion  that  indicated  the  neces 
sity  of  their  remaining  still,  he  mounted  the  log,  and,  looking 
over,  discovered,  sure  enough,  at  once  a  desired  and  yet  impos 
ing  sight.  Round  the  remains  of  a  watch-fire,  which  daybreak 
rendered  less  necessary,  sat  a  group  of  five  fierce-looking  men, 
with  countenances  relaxed  from  their  usual  fixedness,  but  yet 
betokening  boldness,  if  not  savageness  of  purpose.  They  were 
dressing  themselves,  and  putting  on  their  shoes  and  stockings, 
which  stood  by  the  side  of  their  rude  couches.  Their  clothes 
were  much  worn,  but  had  a  military  cut,  and  a  peculiar  snug  fit, 
which  made  their  stout  and  muscular  forms  more  apparent,  and 
distinguished  them  from  the  loose,  slovenly,  scarecrow  figures 
which  the  homely  character  of  our  country  seamstresses  imposed 
upon  every  thing  rural  or  rusticated  among  our  people.  Their 
hats  or  caps  were  set  carelessly  on  their  heads,  with  the  air  of 
regulars  ;  and  what  made  them  still  more  observable  was,  that 
every  man  of  them  had  his  musket  at  his  side  on  the  ground, 
ready  to  be  used  at  an  instant's  notice.  Dunham  surveyed  this 
scene  a  few  moments,  and  then  drew  back  cautiously  to  his 
companions.  In  a  tone  not  above  a  whisper,  he  said,  "  Shall  we 
take  'em  ?  "  A  nod  from  his  companions  decided  him.  Each 
now  examined  his  musket,  and  re-primed  it.  The  captain  took 
the  right  of  his  little  band,  and  they  moved  forward  to  the  log. 


SURRENDER,    OR    YOU  ARE  DEAD  MEN.  68  r 

They  mounted  it  at  the  same  instant ;  and,  as  they  did  so,  Dun 
ham  cried  out,  "  Surrender,  or  you  are  all  dead  men !  "  The 
group  that  thus  found  themselves  almost  under  the  muzzles  ot 
their  enemies'  guns  were  indeed  astonished.  All  but  their  leader, 
Lovelass,  seemed  petrified  and  motionless.  This  resolute  man 
seemed  disposed  to  make  an  effort  for  their  lives.  Twice,  amid 
the  silence  and  stillness  of  the  perilous  moment,  he  stretched 
out  his  hand  to  seize  his  gun.  Each  time  he  was  prevented  by 
the  nearer  approach  of  the  muzzle  that  pointed  at  his  head,  and 
beyond  which  he  saw  an  unflinching  eye  steadfastly  fixed  upon 
him  :  at  the  same  instant  he  was  told  that  if  he  touched  it  he 
was  dead. 

"  '  At  this  critical  period  of  the  rencontre,  Dunham  peremp 
torily  ordered  the  party  to  come  out,  one  by  one,  which  they 
reluctantly  did  ;  fearing,  perhaps,  that  they  were  surrounded  by, 
and  in  contact  with,  a  superior  force.  As  fast  as  one  came  over 
the  log,  he  was  secured  by  the  most  powerful  man  of  the  three, 
while  the  other  two  kept  their  pieces  steadily  pointed  at  the 
other  prisoners.  In  this  way  they  were  secured,  and  were 
marched  out  of  the  thicket  to  the  adjacent  house.  The  inmates 
of  the  dwelling  were  thunderstruck  at  perceiving  the  prisoners. 
Some  young  women,  who  proved  to  be  sisters  of  some  of  the 
party,  gave  way  to  the  most  violent  grief.  Well  aware  of  the 
danger  they  were  in,  and  of  the  speedy  vengeance  inflicted  upon 
Tories  and  spies,  they  anticipated  the  most  dreadful  conse 
quences  to  their  unhappy  brothers ;  and  no  words  can  express 
the  frantic  sorrow  to  which  they  abandoned  themselves.  The 
young  men  themselves  assumed  an  air  of  firmness,  but  it  was 


682  MARCHED   OFF  TO    THE  BARRACKS. 

easily  penetrated.  They  were  marched  off  to  Saratoga  barracks  ; 
and,  as  they  came  up  the  main  road  opposite  to  our  house,  we 
saw  them  approach,  and  my  father  and  myself  spoke  to  them. 
They  confessed  that  they  were  the  persons  who  had  alarmed  us 
on  the  night  to  which  I  have  already  alluded. 

"  '  After  crossing  in  the  canoe,  they  had  lain  two  days  and 
nights  in  the  bush,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river,  looking 
out  for  persons  alone,  and  intending  to  capture  the  principal  and 
most  active  of  the  neighboring  Whigs.  They  did  not  deny  that 
they  had  deliberated  some  time  as  to  the  propriety  of  taking  my 
father  off  with  them. 

"  '  The  poor  wretches  were  tried  and  condemned  at  a  court- 
martial.  Lovelass  alone  suffered  death.  He  was  considered  too 
dangerous  a  man  to  be  permitted  to  escape.  He  complained, 
that,  being  found  with  arms  in  his  hands,  he  was  only  a  prisoner  ; 
and  many  thought,  that,  such  being  the  fact,  he  was  scarcely 
punishable  as  a  spy.  Indeed,  he  even  bewailed  his  hard  fate, 
and  the  injustice  done  him,  but  found  he  had  nothing  to  expect 
from  the  judges.  In  two  or  three  days  he  was  brought  out 
upon  the  hill,  and  suffered  death  upon  the  gallows.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  quiet  and  unaffected  than  his  manner ; 
the  spectators  themselves  were  touched  with  compassion  :  but 
public  policy  seemed  to  require  an  unbending  sternness  on  the 
part  of  the  court,  and  his  punishment  certainly  put  an  end  for 
that  time  to  all  marauding  expeditions  by  the  Tories.  Love- 
lass's  companions  were  sent  down  the  river,  the  same  day,  to  a 
depot  for  prisoners.' ' 

"  That    is    a    tiptop     story,"    said     Jack,    as    Mr.     Longwood 


A   REGULAR  FIRST-CLASS  FELLOW.  683 

stopped.  "Hasn't  the  book  a  good  .Indian  one? — just  a  regu 
lar  first-class  fellow." 

Mr.  Longwood  laughed.  "  Yes :  I  think  I  could  find  one  that 
would  please  you,"  he  said.  "  But  it  will  have  to  be  short ;  for 
I  begin  to  make  out  the  houses  of  Sing  Sing  in  the  distance, 
and  I  think  we  will  get  our  worthy  captain  to  put  us  ashore 
there." 

"  Well,  let's  make  sure  of  the  story,  anyway,"  said  Jack,  seat 
ing  himself  in  Turkish  fashion,  while  the  other  boys  grouped 
themselves  comfortably  around. 

"  It  is  of  one  of  the  exploits  of  our  old  acquaintance  Brant," 
said  Mr.  Longwood,  turning  the  leaves. 

"  '  On  the  morning  of  the  day  which  Schoharie  will  long 
remember,  John  Vrooman,  well  known  as  old  rifle,  and  two  others, 
w«ire  out  upon  duty  as  scouts.  They  were  in  the  woods,  about 
eight  miles  distant  from  the  settlement,  anxiously  reconnoitring 
every  suspicious  object,  and  ready  to  fight  or  fly,  as  was  more 
necessary,  when  Vrooman  caught  a  glance  of  an  Indian,  who 
appeared  engaged  in  a  business  similar  to  their  own.  The  next 
instant  he  raised  his  rifle  to  his  face,  and  the  savage  fell.  An 
other  Indian  discovered  himself,  and  Vrooman's  companion  fired  at 
him.  This  one  also  fell,  apparently  dead.  A  third  rose,  as  if  to 
give  them  each  a  chance  of  firing  ;  but  the  third  scout  became 
alarmed  at  this  third  vision,  and  refused  to  fire.  Vrooman 
snatched  the  rifle  from  his  hand,  and  shot  this  one  also. 
Instantly  a  group  of  Indians  and  Tories  rose  from  the  ground 
near  them  with  a  yell,  and  in  a  manner  that  clearly  indicated 
that  they  were  disturbed  in  finishing  their  breakfast.  '  Did  you 


684  A   FLOCK  OF  CROWS. 


see  that  flock  of  crows  ? '  said  Vrooman.  '  We  shall  have  a 
warm  day  of  it :  let  every  one  take  care  of  himself.' 

"  '  He  was  an  old  woodsman  ;  and,  as  the  three  scouts  sepa 
rated,  he  immediately  made  a  tack,  and  dashed  into  the  thickest 
of  the  forest.  The  enemy  pursued  him ;  and  it  was  only  by  a 
series  of  zigzag  flights  that  he  reached  the  fort  at  Vrooman's 
Flats  at  noon,  breathless,  exhausted,  and  completely  worn  out  by 
fatigue.  He  was  scarcely  there  before  the  flames  of  the  dwell 
ings  at  the  settlement  were  visible.  Brant,  at  the  first  alarm, 
pushed  for  the  settlement  by  an  old  road,  and  was  already  doing 
his  work  of  devastation. 

"  '  I  had  an  aunt  living  at  the  place,  whose  husband,  at  the 
moment  of  Brant's  arrival,  was  engaged  in  loading  his  barn 
with  hay,  and  was  himself  on  the  load  with  the  pitchfork  in  his 
hand,  while  his  sons  were  in  the  barn  stowing  it  away.  As  he 
accidentally  looked  around,  he  discovered  the  Indians  between  him 
and  the  house.  At  the  same  instant  he  heard  his  wife  scream. 
He  had  presence  of  mind  to  cry  out,  '  My  boys,  the  enemy !  ' 
He  jumped  from  the  load,  with  the  apparent  intention  of  making 
for  the  cornfield.  As  he  struck  the  fence,  a  ball  went  through 
him,  and  he  fell  dead  on  the  spot.  His  wife  was  coming  out 
of  the  garden,  where  she  had  just  parted  with  a  neighbor,  when 
she  saw  the  savages,  and  gave  the  shriek  which  had  alarmed 
her  husband.  She  was  instantly  tomahawked.  The  three  oldest 
of  the  sons  were  mad?,  prisoners;  while  the  youngest  brother,  of 
about  five  years  of  age,  who  had  been  playing  about  the  wagon 
in  the  field,  they  knocked  on  the  head.  Thus,  in  a  few  moments, 
was  a  family  put  to  a  cruel  and  savage  death.  The  three  cap- 


THEY  PRESENTED  A    WOFUL  APPEARANCE.  685 

tives  were  carried  away  to  Canada.  They  did  not  obtain  their 
liberty  until  nearly  two  years  afterwards.  I  well  remember  their 
return.  My  father  obtained  information  of  it,  and  went  to  the 
North  to  meet  them.  He  brought  them  home  to  his  own  houser 
and  there  learned  the  story  of  their  sufferings  and  exile.  From 
their  long  captivity,  and  their  continued  labors  in  the  field  with 
out  hats,  both  in  the  service  of  the  savages  and  the  Canadians,, 
they  were  burned  very  black,  and  presented  a  woful  appearance. 

"  '  Some  of  the  inhabitants,  however,  escaped  under  circum 
stances  very  extraordinary,  and  worthy  of  reminiscence.  The 
road  which  led  from  the  upper  to  the  middle  fort  ran  across  the 
hill.  At  the  time  of  the  enemy's  approach,  two  men  were  in 
the  field  with  a  wagon  and  horses,  busily  engaged  in  work. 
They  were  at  least  two  miles  and  a  half  from  the  fort.  They 
heard  the  noise  of  the  engagement,  and  instantly  attempted  to 
escape.  One  of  them  stood  up  and  drove,  while  the  other,  with 
his  pitchfork,  goaded  the  horses  to  their  topmost  speed.  No 
less  than  seven  swing-gates  interposed  themselves  as  barriers  on 
the  road  ;  but,  as  most  miraculously  they  were  made  to  swing- 
either  way,  they  were  forced  open  by  the  horses  running  against 
them.  During  this  terrible  race  against  time,  several  persons 
succeeded  in  getting  into  the  wagon  from  behind ;  and  these 
laid  hold  of  every  person  who  came  near  enough  to  attempt  the 
same  exploit.  As  they  passed  a  point  where  an  old  person  by 
the  name  of  Swarts  resided,  who  was  unloading  some  corn  from 
a  wagon,  they  gave  him  the  alarm,  and,  being  near  the  goal 
they  wished  to  arrive  at,  slackened  their  pace.  He  told  them 
not  to  wait  for  him.  He  sent  one  of  his  men  to  his  house  to 


686  A   MIRACULOUS  ESCAPE. 

call  his  wife,  while  he  reharnessed  his  horses  to  the  wagon. 
His  poor  wife  came  running  out,  the  picture  of  distraction,  and, 
in  her  fright,  forgot  her  child,  that  was  sleeping  in  a  cradle. 
She  was  surprised  at  her  forgetfulness,  and  ran  back  for  it. 
The  three  were  then  hauled  into  the  wagon  as  quick  as  possible. 
The  horses  were  forced  into  a  gallop  down  the  hill,  and  through 
the  creek.  Notwithstanding  they  were  pursued  by  the  savages 
the  whole  of  the  distance,  they  escaped,  reaching  the  fort  in 
safety,  with  eleven  persons  in  the  wagon,  picked  up  in  this 
singular  manner.  The  harness  was  covered  with  clotted  blood, 
and  the  poor  animals  were  completely  exhausted.  Another  per 
son  escaped  across  the  flats  in  this  way.  Whenever  he  found 
his  pursuer  gaining  on  him,  he  would  turn  round,  and  point 
something  which  he  carried  towards  the  savage,  as  if  he  was 
about  to  fire.  This  occasioned  a  halt ;  and,  with  a  fresh  breath 
drawn  at  those  intervals,  he  completely  succeeded  in  getting 
safely  into  the  fort. 

"  '  This  celebrated  excursion,  as  I  before  mentioned,  was  con 
ducted  by  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Brant.  The  force  which  they  had 
with  them  has  always  been  said  to  have  been  1,150,  counting  red 
and  white.  The  enemy,  while  on  their  march,  were  discovered  by 
the  lookouts  at  the  upper  fort ;  and  immediately  three  guns  were 
discharged  as  a  signal  to  the  neighborhood.  As  I  have  before 
mentioned,  the  inhabitants  were  engaged  in  their  usual  business, 
for  they  always  hoped  to  be  able  to  retire  to  the  fort  before  the 
danger  became  imminent.  When  the  alarm  was  given,  my  grand 
father  was  in  the  fort,  and  his  son  was  in  a  mill  which  belonged 
to  the  family,  about  one  mile  from  the  place.  The  former  imme- 


SHALL    THE    WHITE  FLAG  BE  FIRED   ON?  687 

diately  went  down  to  the  mill,  and  the  two  shut  it  up,  and 
stopped  its  motion.  This  was  considered  very  venturesome  in 
the  old  man,  but  he  was  not  immediately  exposed  through  his 
rashness.  Besides,  the  life  of  a  favorite  son  was  not  the  least 
incentive  on  the  occasion.  He  and  his  son  mounted  two  horses 
that  were  there,  while  the  miller  trusted  to  his  legs  for  security. 
As  the  fugitives  approached  the  fort  on  their  return,  they  dis 
covered  the  enemy  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them.  They 
immediately  changed  their  course,  and  got  in  at  the  rear  of  the 
fort  without  further  risk.  This  was  early  in  the  morning.  After 
sunrise,  Sir  John  Johnson  surrounded  the  middle  fort,  and  sent 
a  flag  demanding  its  surrender.  Exasperated  by  the  sufferings 
they  had  already  undergone,  and  perhaps  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
mischief  already  done  at  the  flats,  and  incited  to  hostility  by 
the  remarks  of  some  old  people,  that  they  wanted  no  red-coats 
in  the  fort,  they  told  the  sentry  to  fire  at  the  flag,  and  drive  it 
off.  A  Major  W.,  a  Continental  officer,  who  was  stationed  there, 
endeavored  to  prevent  this  outrage  of  military  etiquette,  and 
commanded  the  sentry  not  to  fire.  The  militia  officer  overruled 
him,  and  gave  peremptory  orders  to  the  man  to  fire.  I  can 
imagine  the  moment  when  the  willing  sentry,  looking  beyond 
the  rude  palisade  which  skirted  the  fort,  saw  the  white  flag 
drawing  nearer  with  that  uncertainty  of  manner  which  indicates 
the  doubt  of  a  favorable  reception.  Raising  his  musket  to  his 
shoulder,  he  looked  around  for  some  approving  look  from  his 
comrades-in-arms.  The  distant  smoke,  which  he  well  knew  was 
from  the  torch  of  the  incendiary,  and  the  glitter  of  the  red-coats 
just  within  sight  of  him,  gave  a  sort  of  tremor  to  his  hand,  and 


688  A    CONTINENTAL   OFFICER. 

he  thought  of  the  fate  which  perhaps  awaited  them  all.  Just 
behind  him  stood  the  extremes  of  Continental  etiquette  and 
militia  subordination,  personified  in  the  one  instance  by  a  sharp 
and  huge  cocked  hat,  trimmed  profusely  with  gold  lace,  sur 
mounting  a  well-powdered  head  ;  the  lips  of  the  officer  firmly 
set,  and  his  right  hand  resting  on  a  cane,  with  which  he  now 
and  then  laid  down  his  argument,  and  somewhat  roundly  too,  on 
the  toes  of  his  unlucky  listeners  around  him.  A  long-waisted 
blue  coat  turned  up  with  buff,  that  met  and  parted  at  the  same 
time  on  his  breast,  and  a  black-silk  kerchief  drawn  tightly  round 
his  throat,  completed  the  upper  part  of  our  major.  A  pair  of 
small-clothes  drawn  tightly  over  a  muscular  thigh  were  met  at 
the  knee  by  a  pair  of  straight-sided  boots,  that  doubtless,  by 
their  stiffness  and  want  of  pliability,  prevented  any  thing  like  an 
attack  upon  the  limb  inside.  A  white  belt  thrown  over  the 
whole  man,  and  a  heavy  sabre  with  a  leathern  scabbard,  com 
pleted  the  Ajax  of  the  council,  the  son  of  chivalry,  and  the 
regularly  fed  friend  of  the  Continental  Congress.  But  the  nicely 
drawn  arguments  taken  from  the  rules  of  war  were  lost  upon 
the  rude  minds  of  his  unlettered  but  exasperated  companions. 
Their  embrowned  visages,  but  illy  protected  by  their  ancient  hats, 
which  had  served  at  least  during  the  war,  declared  that  revenge 
and  an  obstinate  defence  were  all  they  wished,  and  that  the  means 
which  were  to  lead  to  these  were  not  to  be  invaded  by  rules  to 
which  they,  at  least,  had  never  subscribed. 

"  '  Brown  shirts  were  the  panoply  of  the  farmer  soldiers : 
over  them  hung  powder-horns  and  shot-bags,  manufactured  dur 
ing  the  winter  nights,  and  now  and  then  stopped  up  with  a. 


THE  FLAG-BEARER   TAKES  TO  FLIGHT.  689 

corn-cob.  Muskets  were  rather  uncommon.  Long  fowling-pieces 
were  more  in  fashion  in  Schoharie.  Sometimes  the  rank  of  the 
individual  led  him  to  greater  expense  in  equipment.  A  sparse 
sprinkling  of  gold  lace  in  places  best  calculated  for  display,  a 
long  feather,  and  a  thin  epaulette,  were  indicative  of  the  superior 
pretensions  of  the  man  who  wore  them. 

"  '  Occasionally,  in  the  interstices  of  the  disputants,  an  old 
man  or  two  would  be  listening  with  that  peculiar  expression 
of  countenance  which  argues  the  possession  of  hard  hearing. 
These,  who  had  generally  known  something  of  service  in  the 
French  war,  would  occasionally  chime  in  with  Yes  or  No,  as  the 
controversy  came  within  the  range  of  their  memories.  There  was 
another  argument  used,  which,  after  all,  was  perhaps  the  most 
powerful  of  any  ;  and  this  was  the  fact,  that,  however  etiquette 
might  be  regarded  by  the  besieged,  it  certainly  was  not  likely 
to  produce  a  correspondent  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  enemy. 
On  the  whole,  the  friends  of  etiquette  were  overpowered.  The 
order  to  fire  was  repeated,  and  the  close  shot  of  the  sentinel 
drove  away  at  full  speed  the  bearer  of  the  flag  of  truce.  The 
major,  however,  unwilling  to  be  responsible  for  the  consequences, 
retired  to  his  pallet,  and  excused  himself  from  any  further  com 
mand  at  present,  alleging  his  indisposition.  A  Capt.  Vrooman 
was  invested  with  the  honors  of  the  command,  and,  at  the  head 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  besides  women  and  children, 
resolved  to  fight  while  there  was  a  combatant  of  either  sex  left 
alive.  After  the  violation  of  the  flag,  Sir  John  brought  up  his 
artillery,  and  fired  upon  the  fort.  The  fire  was  promptly  returned. 
Having  a  few  light  howitzers  with  him,  he  threw  a  few  shells, 


690  THE  MAJOR  IS  ROUTED,   AND  RETIRES. 

of  which  only  two  struck  the  building.  One  of  them  entered 
the  roof  of  a  small  building  in  the  pickets,  and  fell  through  the 
roof  into  a  room  where  two  sick  women  were  lying.  It  was 
arrested  in  its  fall  by  a  feather-bed,  where  it  exploded,  and 
scattered  a  gale  of  feathers  about  the  apartment.  No  serious 
injury,  however,  occurred.  An  effort  was  made  to  set  fire  to 
the  pickets  and  out-houses,  by  loading  a  wagon  with  dry  wheat, 
and,  after  firing  it,  to  shove  it  as  close  to  the  place  as  possible. 
This  attempt  also  failed.  Either  the  sharp  shooting  of  the  rifle 
men,  or  the  short-lived  flames  of  the  material  which  was  used, 
prevented  any  injury.  The  principal  part  of  the  day  was  occu 
pied  in  operations  of  this  kind,  when  the  sentry  again  discovered 
the  approach  of  a  white  flag.  In  an  instant  the  news  was  about, 
and  a  crowd  again  assembled  to  watch  its  coming.  Major  W. 
with  the  rest,  determined  to  make  his  last  stand  against  the 
invasion  of  military  law.  A  Capt.  Reghtmeyer,  however,  was  on 
the  platform  where  the  soldier  stood,  and  he  gave  him  the  order 
to  fire.  The  major,  exasperated  at  this,  drew  his  sword,  and 
seemed  about  to  run  the  delinquent  through.  The  little  captain, 
who  carried  a  fusee  in  his  hand,  instantly  clubbed  it,  and  made 
an  impressive  motion  with  its  breech,  which  again  drove  the 
major  back  to  his  retreat. 

"  '  During  this  petty  siege,  the  enemy  would  draw  off  their 
forces,  and  burn  and  destroy  dwellings  in  the  neighborhood.  At 
these  intervals,  our  men  would  succeed  in  killing  numbers  of 
them ;  but,  the  moment  any  thing  like  a  show  of  force  took 
place,  the  latter  would  run  back,  repass  the  gate  under  the  pro 
tection  of  a  heavy  fire  from  their  comrades,  and  the  small 


A   DESULTORY  WARFARE.  691 

artillery,  within  the  walls.  During  this  desultory  warfare,  which 
lasted  from  morning  to  night,  the  females  within  our  fort  dis 
played  a  heroism  worthy  of  commemoration.  They  were  well 
provided  with  arms,  which  they  intended  to  use  if  the  English 
attempted  to  take  the  place  by  storm.  Their  services  were  not 
required  by  such  an  extremity.  One  of  these,  then  an  interest 
ing  and  handsome  young  female,  whose  name  is  still  mentioned 
with  respect  by  the  people  of  Schoharie,  displayed  a  good  deal 
of  courage  on  this  occasion.  Perceiving  that  one  of  our  men, 
who  went  to  draw  water  from  a  well  within  reach  of  the  enemy's 
fire,  scudded  into  the  fort  as  fast  as  he  could  to  escape  it,  she 
gallantly  went  out  herself,  and  drew  water  for  the  men  in  the 
fort,  as  long  as  any  was  required.  Without  changing  color,  she 
carried  bucket  after  bucket  to  the  thirsty  combatants,  and,  provi 
dentially,  she  escaped  without  the  slightest  injury. 

"  '  Finding  the  fort  too  strong  for  them,  the  enemy  drew 
down  to  the  lower  fort,  and,  after  skirmishing  until  sundown 
without  much  effect,  drew  off  towards  the  Mohawk  River.  By 
this  time,  however,  the  alarm  had  spread  through  the  neighbor 
ing  settlements ;  and  a  body  of  militia  of  sufficient  force  to 
become  the  assailants  arrived,  it  is  said,  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  enemy  near  the  river,  and  Sir  John  Johnson,  in  conse 
quence,  had  actually  made  arrangements  to  surrender.  The 
Americans,  however,  at  this  moment,  fell  back  a  short  distance, 
for  the  sake  of  occupying  a  better  position  during  the  night. 
The  interval  was  improved  by  the  enemy ;  and,  by  great  exertions 
on  their  part,  floats  and  rafts  were  constructed,  upon  which  they 
passed  over  before  the  Americans  came  up  in  the  morning. 


692  A   FAIR  MARK  FOR   THE  RIFLE. 

There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Schoharie  people,  however,  that, 
as  the  last  float  was  going  over,  a  British  officer  who  was  on 
it  offered  a  fair  mark  for  the  rifle,  in  consequence  of  the  glitter 
of  his  dress  in  the  light  of  the  morning  sun.  A  friendly  Oneida 
asked  permission  to  fire  at  him;  and,  on  its  being  given,  he  took 
a  rest  for  his  rifle  in  order  to  take  a  good  aim,  fired,  and  shot 
the  officer  instantly.' " 

As  Mr.  Longwood  finished  reading,  and  closed  the  book, 
Jack  jumped  up  promptly. 

"  Shall  I  go  and  tell  the  hairy  man  to  get  his  boat,"  he 
asked,  "  to  put  us  ashore  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  he  may  as  well  have  it  ready,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood  ;  "  for  we  shall  be  off  Sing  Sing  presently,  and  that  will  be 
a  good  place  to  land.  All  or  nearly  all  the  express-trains  stop 
there,  so  that  we  can  be  sure  of  getting  home  promptly." 

The  hairy  man  was  sitting  forward  on  the  roof  of  the  stable. 
He  had  been  sitting  there  for  an  hour,  doing  nothing  but  gaze 
morosely  at  the  water.  The  mules  every  now  and  then  lifted 
up  their  united  voices  in  a  tenor  and  bass  duet,  with  a  volume 
of  sound  that  seemed  as  if  it  must  lift  the  roof  of  their  stable, 
hairy  man  and  all,  clear  off,  and  send  them  floating  down  the 
river.  But  their  sweet  notes  did  not  seem  to  rouse  him.  He 
sat  as  stolidly  as  ever. 

Jack  approached,  and  made  known  their  wishes. 

He  rose  without  a  word,  and  jumping  on  to  the  boat  next 
alongside,  and  from  that  to  another,  made  his  way  forward  until. 
he  came  to  the  bow  of  the  one  nearest  the  tug  that  was  draw 
ing  them.  Between  him  and  the  tug  lay  a  broad  stretch  of 


• 
THE  BOAT  IS  BROUGHT  ALONGSIDE.  693 

boiling  water  lashed  into  foam  by  the  paddle-wheels.  Putting 
his  hands  to  his  mouth,  he  gave  a  loud  halloo. 

A  man  standing  idly  on  the  deck  answered ;  and  a  conversa 
tion  in  shouts  ensued,  of  which  the  boys  could  hear  nothing. 
Apparently,  however,  it  terminated  successfully ;  for  they  saw  a 
boat  tipped  off  the  stern  of  the  tug.  Then  the  paddle-wheels 
stopped  for  a  moment  ;  and  the  man,  taking  advantage  of  the 
temporary  lull,  jumped  into  his  boat,  and,  with  a  few  vigorous 
strokes,  sent  it  out  of  the  whirling  eddies  into  the  quieter  water 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  tow.  The  hairy  man  met  him  there, 
got  into  the  boat  while  the  new-comer  got  out,  and  sat  down 
to  talk  with  an  acquaintance  he  had  found. 

Presently  their  man  brought  the  boat  around  to  the  side  of 
his  own  craft  where  they  were  waiting,  and  threw  aboard  the 
painter,  which  Tom  made  fast.  Then  Jack  and  Ned  and  Charlie 
made  their  way  over  the  side,  and  the  three  others  were  about 
to  follow,  when  suddenly  there  appeared  up  the  cabin-steps  a 
woman.  She  was  not  a  handsome  woman.  Over  her  head  was 
tied  a  handkerchief  which,  folded  two  or  three  times,  completely 
covered  one  eye.  She  appeared  to  have  been  engaged  in 
sweeping :  at  all  events,  she  had  a  broom  in  her  hands.  She 
advanced  to  where  they  were  embarking,  and,  addressing  her 
husband,  said  firmly,  — 

"  John  Quincy  Adams  Jones,  you  get  out  of  that  boat." 

"  I'm  goin'  to  put  them  ashore,"  said  the  man. 

"  Not  much  you  ain't,"  she  said.  "  You're  comin'  right  out 
of  that  boat  quicker." 

"  But,  my  good  woman,"  said  Mr.  Longwood,  "  he  has  prom 
ised  to  land  us  at  Sing  Sing." 


694  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS  JONES  GETS  OUT. 

"  Don't  good  woman  me,"  said  she  fiercely,  turning  upon 
that  gentleman,  who  involuntarily  retreated  a  step.  "  When 
you've  only  one  eye  left,  you'll  know  better'n  let  your  husband 
go  off  where  he  can  get  liquor,  when  you  see  the  fit  comin'  on 
him.  Coin'  ashore !  Not  if  I  knows  it.  Here,  you,  John  Quincy 
Adams  Jones,  you  get  out  of  that  boat." 

Thus  adjured,  John  Quincy  Adams  Jones  got  out. 

"  Who's  to  take  'em,  then  ?  "  he  said  sulkily. 

"  Never  you  mind :  you  ain't.  —  Here,  Sam,"  she  called  to 
one  of  the  mule-drivers,  who  had  been  asleep  in  his  bunk  until 
roused  by  the  commotion,  "  you  get  in  here,  and  take  these 
folks  ashore." 

"  Do'no  zi  know  how  to  row  much,"  said  the  man,  taken 
aback  at  the  suddenness  of  this  order,  and  scratching  his  head 
stupidly. 

"  Then'ts  time  you  learned.  Get  in,  I  say,  the  whole  passel 
of  you;"  and  she  clutched  her  broom,  and  looked  so  threaten 
ingly,  that  no  one  dared  to  object ;  but  pell-mell,  Tom,  Will,, 
Mr.  Longwood,  and  Sam  all  tumbled  in.  The  next  moment  the 
end  of  their  painter  was  unloosed  and  thrown  after  them,  and 
they  were  adrift. 

Tom  seized  one  oar,  and  Will  another ;  and,  as  they  were  both 
broad-shouldered  lads,  the  boat  was  soon  moving  at  a  good 
pace.  It  was  well  loaded  down,  though,  with  our  party,  so  that 
pulling  at  the  oars  was  no  light  task. 

After  a  little,  the  pier  at  Sing  Sing  began  to  be  close  at 
hand.  Just  then  a  faint  shout  was  heard  behind  them.  They 
stopped,  and  all  looked  back.  On  the  deck  of  one  of  the  boats 


THE  MAN  MAKES  NO  REPLY,  695 

of  the  flotilla  they  had  left,  they  could  see  a  man  who  was 
shouting  wildly,  and  gesticulating. 

"  He  acts  as  if  he  wanted  us  to  come  back,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  Can  we  have  left  any  thing  behind  us  ?  " 

The  boys  counted  their  packages.     No  ;   nothing  was  missing. 

"  He  must  be  shouting  at  some  one  else,"  said  Mr.  Long- 
wood.  "  Go  on,  boys." 

So  the  oars  were  dipped  once  more,  and  soon  they  were  all 
scrambling  up  the  pier. 

"  The  boat  will  row  more  easily  going  back,"  said  Tom  pleas 
antly  to  the  man.  "  You'll  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  us." 

The  man  made  no  reply.  He  got  up  from  the  stern  where 
he  had  been  sitting,  and  plunged  unsteadily  forward,  nearly 
upsetting  the  craft,  and  sat  down  on  the  seat  nearest  the  bow, 
with  his  face  toward  it.  The  natural  result  of  this  arrangement 
was,  that  the  bow  went  down  almost  to  the  water's  edge,  while 
the  stern  stood  well  up  out  of  it.  Then  he  pulled  out  his  oars, 
and  stretched  them  out  across  the  gunwales.  Finding  no  row 
locks  to  put  them  in,  he  rose  up  again,  and  backed  to  the  next 
seat,  upon  which  he  sat  down  suddenly  and  most  unexpectedly 
with  a  crash.  In  executing  this  movement,  he  let  go  one  of  his 
oars,  which  immediately  slipped  off  into  the  water.  He  recovered 
it  with  a  sudden  lunge  over  the  side,  which  wet  his  arm  up  to 
the  elbow,  and  tipped  the  boat  so  that  she  shipped  at  least  a 
pail  ot  water. 

About  this  time,  his  movements  began  to  excite  great  interest 
among  a  crowd  of  boys  who  suddenly  appeared  from  nowhere, 
and  began  to  give  him  most  disinterested  advice. 


696  DISINTERESTED  ADVICE. 

"  Put  your  oar  in  deep,  and  bring  it  out  with  a  jerk,"  said  one. 

"  You  ought  to  sit  straddle  of  the  seat,"  said  another. 

There  was  no  end  to  the  advice  that  was  thus  generously 
thrust  upon  him.  Tom,  however,  made  his  way  through  the 
crowd  of  urchins  to  the  edge  of  the  pier,  and  said  quietly,  — 

"  Turn  around,  with  your  face  to  the  other  end  of  the  boat." 

The  man  recognized  his  voice,  and,  lifting  up  his  feet,  spun 
around  on  the  seat  as  on  a  pivot. 

"  Put  your  oars  out  through  the  rowlocks."     The  man  did  so. 

"  Now,  then,  you're  all  right,"  said  Tom  encouragingly.  "  Go 
ahead." 

The  man  drew  his  knees  up  nearly  to  his  chin.  Of  course, 
as  soon  as  he  pulled,  the  oars  struck  his  knees,  and  jumped 
from  the  rowlocks. 

The  crowd  of  urchins  shouted  with  glee. 

"  Hang  your  legs  over  your  shoulders,"  said  one. 

Tom  came  once  more  to  the  rescue.  "  Stretch  your  legs  out 
straight  before  you,"  he  called. 

The  man  did  so,  and  pulled  three  or  four  strokes  beautifully. 
"  I've  got  the  hang  of  the  old  thing  this  time,"  they  heard  him 
say  to  himself.  The  next  minute  he  caught  a  crab,  and  went 
over  backward,  all  that  was  left  to  tell  his  whereabouts  being  a 
pair  of  thick  raw-hide  shoes  which  stuck  up  in  the  air.  One  of 
the  oars  took  advantage  of  the  occasion  to  leap  overboard  again. 
By  the  time  he  had  regained  his  seat,  it  was  beyond  his  grasp  ; 
but,  by  reaching  after  it  with  the  other,  he  at  last  managed  to 
regain  it. 

All  this  time  they  could  hear  a  perfect  volley  of  shouts    from 


A   NEW   WAY  TO  ROW.  697 

the  tow,  which  was  steadily  moving  on,  each  moment  taking  it 
further  and  further  away.  The  figure  of  the  man  gesticulating 
wildly  could  still  be  seen,  though  distance  was  beginning  to 
soften  down  the  edges  of  his  wrath. 

The  toiling  oarsman  gave  no  heed  to  his  shouts :  he  had 
conceived  a  new  plan.  Wedging  one  oar  firmly  so  that  it  could 
not  elude  him,  he  seized  the  other,  and  pulled  with  all  his 
might.  The  boat  spun  around  vigorously.  Then,  laying  down 
that  oar,  he  seized  the  other.  The  boat  spun  around  as  actively 
the  other  way.  The  current  in  the  mean  while  had  carried  him 
some  twenty  feet  on  during  this  operation,  so  that  when  he 
stopped  to  take  breath,  and  saw  that  the  distance  between  him 
and  the  pier  had  widened,  he  made  up  his  mind  that  this  was 
the  proper  line  of  action  for  him ;  so,  seizing  again  his  single 
oar,  he  made  the  boat  spin  around  as  actively  as  before. 

Just  at  this  moment  Mr.  Longwood,  who  had  hurried  to  the 
station  as  soon  as  they  landed,  and  had  witnessed  none  of  these 
feats  of  the  oar,  came  hurrying  down. 

"  Come,  boys,"  he  called,  "  lose  no  time.  An  express-train 
is  due  in  just  three  minutes.  There  is  the  whistle  now." 

They  hurried  after  him,  and  reached  the  station  platform  just 
as  the  long  train  came  to  a  halt. 

"  I  am  sure  I  saw  Carrie's  face  in  the  window  of  that  second 
drawing-room  car,  as  it  passed,"  said  Tom.  "  Let's  get  in  that 
car,  and  see." 

Sure  enough  :  they  found  Mrs.  Longwood  and  the  girls,  and 
plenty  of  unoccupied  seats  ;  and  soon  they  were  all  chatting 
.together  as  busily  as  if  they  had  never  been  parted.  "  We 


698  FROM  RAGE    TO  DESPAIR. 

drove  to  Newburgh,"  said  Carrie,  "  and  crossed  the    river,  taking 
the  train  there." 

A  short  hour  brought  our  party  to  the  city ;  and,  with  many 
regrets,  they  parted.  What  became  of  the  man  in  the  boat, 
however,  I  cannot  tell  you.  The  last  they  saw  of  him,  as  they 
looked  back,  he  was  still  pulling  at  a  single  oar.  They  passed 
the  tow  a  mile  or  so  farther  on.  The  man  was  still  standing  on 
the  deck.  His  rage  had  apparently  changed  to  the  apathy  of 
despair.  He  was  not  shouting  or  gesticulating  now,  but  looking 
back  with  a  stony  gaze  to  his  boat,  which  was  still  spinning 
around  like  a  tee-to-tum  in  the  widening  distance. 


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